What I Didn't Expect
by Blueyesapphire
Summary: A new Special Agent comes to NCIS: OSP, and Callen doesn't like, or trust her. Despite her knowing Hetty, and another person on the team. But as he gets to know her, will he change his mind?
1. Chapter 1

So, this is the first time I'm writing a story on here. So I hope I am doing this right.

Comments/reviews would be very much appreciated.

All in all, I really hope that you guys like this story.

Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, I do not own any of the NCIS or NCIS: Los Angeles characters in this story. All the credit of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles goes to the one and only Shane Brennan.

I hope you enjoy :)


	2. Chapter 2

(Washington, DC….)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sitting at the table outside a coffee shop, sipping my coffee, and waiting for my friend to join me.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long.

I saw him walk out of the coffee shop with a coffee in hand, as he looked around.

Then, he looked my way, and smiled, once we made eye contact.

I smiled back at him, as he made his way over to me.

Once he reached me, he sat down in the chair opposite me.

"Well, you're sight for sore eyes." He said.

I laughed little.

He always says that when he sees me.

"It's nice to know you haven't lost your touch with slipping things into someone else's pocket." He said, as he sat down the bracelet he gave me for my sixteenth birthday, that I had only slipped into his pocket about a minute or two ago, on the table.

"It's hard not to when you learned from the best." I said, as I took my bracelet back, and put it on my wrist once again.

He smiled, obviously remembering the memory of teaching me.

"It's so good to see you, Gibbs." I said. "It's been too long."

"It's only been five months." Gibbs said. "Plus, since you're currently working with the DEA, it's understandable. Just make you sure you continue to call me almost every day like you promised."

I laughed.

"Always." I said. "So, how is everyone?"

"They're good." Gibbs said. "But they miss you. Especially Abby and Tony."

"I miss them too." I said.

It was silent for a moment, then Gibbs said:

"Why don't you join NCIS? You would like it."

I shrugged.

"I don't know, Gibbs." I said.

Gibbs was about to speak, when my phone began to ring.

I took my phone out, and looked to see who it was.

It was an unknown number.

I looked at Gibbs. Silently asking if it was ok for me to answer it.

"Go ahead." He said.

I answered the phone.

"Hello?" I said.

"Miss Taylor, how is your vacation going?" I heard a very familiar voice say from the other end of the line.

"Hetty." I said, as a small smile came to my face. "It's good so far…Why are you calling me so early?"

"Unfortunately, I'm calling you for a favor." Hetty said.

"Why? What happened?" I asked, as I started to get worried.

"Nothing has happened, Miss Taylor." Hetty said. "I just called for a favor."

I relaxed at her words. Knowing that if something had happened, she would have told me.

"Ok." I said. "What do you need?"

"There is a ticket for a flight to Los Angeles waiting for you at the airport under the name Mia Reynolds. It leaves in forty five minutes." Hetty said. "Once you have arrived, call me so we can meet."

I smiled a little.

"Is this just your way of getting me to visit you?" I asked her. "You know my path was heading that way."

"Then I will see you soon, Miss Taylor." Hetty said, with a hint of a laugh with the sound of her words.

"That you will." I said.

"Oh, and do tell Jethro 'hello' for me." Hetty said.

"Will do, Hetty." I said. "See you soon."

Then, I hung up the phone, and looked at Gibbs, who had a soft smile on his face.

"You have to leave." Gibbs said.

It wasn't a question, but a statement.

I nodded.

"My flight leaves in forty five minutes." I said.

Gibbs nodded.

"Come on." Gibbs said, as he stood up. "I'll give you a ride."

I smiled and stood up also.

"Can you tell everyone I said hi?" I asked, as we headed toward his car.

"Of course." Gibbs said. "But you do know DiNozzo won't be too happy knowing you were here, and didn't get a chance to see you."

Again not a question. A statement.

"Yeah, I know." I said. "I'll make it up to him somehow."


	3. Chapter 3

(Los Angeles)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I was sitting at my desk, enjoying some tea as I looked at the paper work from our last case. Which remained untouched in its folder, in my inbox tray.

"Morning, G." I heard Sam, my partner, say.

"Morning." I said, still staring at the paper work in my inbox.

"You haven't touched it, have you?" I heard Sam say.

I looked away from the paper work, and looked at him to see he was standing by his desk, looking at me.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"Because it's still in your inbox tray." He said, as he sat down in his chair at his desk.

"I could've looked at it." I said.

"Yeah, you're looking at it alright." Sam said, as he opened his laptop and turned it on.

"Morning, guys!" I heard Kensi say.

I looked toward the entrance of the bull pen and saw Kensi and Deeks going to their desk.

"Morning, Kensi." Sam said. "Morning Deeks."

"Morning, big guy!" Deeks said, as he sat down at his desk next to Sam's, and immediately took out his cell phone, and looked at it.

"Expecting a call?" I asked, as Kensi sat down at her desk, which was beside mine.

"You could say that." Deeks said.

Sam looked at Deeks and studied him, as Deeks kept his eyes on his phone.

"Who's the girl?" Sam asked him.

Deeks looked at Sam confused.

"W-What?" Deeks asked.

"You're waiting for a girl to call you." Sam said. "It's written all over your face. So, who is she?"

"Ok, that's just creepy." Deeks said.

"Wait, you're really waiting for a girl to call you?" Kensi asked.

"Honestly, yes." Deeks said.

"You gave her your number?" Kensi asked.

"Actually we swapped numbers." Deeks said.

"Then why don't you call her?" Kensi asked.

"Because she's suppose to call me." Deeks said, as if it was obvious.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"This girl who was our waitress last night at the bar." Kensi said.

"What? No!" Deeks said. "I'm not waiting for _her_ to call me."

"Then who are you waiting to hear from?" Kensi asked.

"A friend." Deeks said.

"Deeks has a girl as a friend?" I asked. "I find that hard to believe."

"How do you find that hard to believe?" Deeks asked. "Me and Kensi are friends."

"No. We're partners." Kensi said.

"And friends." Deeks said.

"Ok. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Kensi said.

"So, who's the girl that you 'claim' to be friends with?" I asked. "Is she an old girlfriend?"

"No." Deeks said.

"Ah, the one that got away?" Sam asked.

"No." Deeks said. "She's really just a friend."

"Alright." Sam said. "Tell us about your 'friend'."

"There's not much to tell." Deeks said.

"See? I knew he was making it up." I said to Sam.

"I'm not making her up." Deeks said, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Then tell us about her." Kensi said.

Deeks sighed.

"We met at the beginning of high school, went to the same police academy together, and we were partners at LAPD." Deeks said.

"What do you mean were?" Kensi asked.

"She left a while ago and joined the DEA." Deeks explained.

"Why did she leave?" I asked.

Deeks sighed. Obviously remembering something that happened.

"She needed a different kind of scenery." Deeks said. "Plus, she was wasted at LAPD. She's better than what people give her credit for."

I could tell by the look on his face that there was more to it than his friend needing a different kind of scenery. But I decided not to ask further.

"Does she still work for DEA?" Kensi asked.

"Yep." Deeks said, nodding.

"I take it you two still keep in touch." Sam said.

"That we do." Deeks said, a smile coming to his face. "We talk almost every day." Then Deeks smiled faded, as he added: "Unfortunately, she's on the other side of the world…..And I hardly get to see her."

"Which is why you're expecting a call." I concluded.

Deeks nodded.

"I'm sure your friend will call you, Mr. Deeks." I heard a voice say that was more than familiar to me.

All four of us looked toward the entrance to the bull pen to see Hetty, our boss, standing there.

"I know, Hetty." Deeks said. "I just worry about her."

"We all worry about someone, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said. "Even if they are out of harms way, we still tend to worry about their safety."

Sam, Kensi, and I nodded in agreement.

Hell, even I worry about Sam, Hetty, Kensi, Eric, Nell, and Deeks. Regardless if they're in the same building, or sitting right beside me, or not.

"Now," Hetty began. "Since Mr. Beale, nor Miss Jones, did not whistle for your attention, I suggest the four of you get caught up on your paper work. Especially you, Mr. Callen."

Sam was about ready to say something, when Hetty looked at him, and said:

"You, Mr. Hanna, forgot to fill in some questions on your paper work from last week. So, if you would please follow me to my desk so I can give it to you, I would appreciate it."

Hetty then walked away.

I looked at Sam. Not even trying to control the amused smirk that came to my face.

"Don't start." Sam warned, as he got up to follow Hetty.

"I didn't even say anything." I said.

"You don't have to." Sam said, as he walked out of the bull pen to where Hetty went to.

My smirk grew some more. Then, I took the paper work from yesterday's case out of my inbox.


	4. Chapter 4

(A Couple Hours Later)

(At the LAX airport)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I walked out of the terminal and into the LAX airport.

As soon as I was far enough away, I took my phone out of my pocket, and turned it on, as I walked over to an empty seat, and sat down.

Not even a minute went by, when my phone started to beep.

I looked at it and saw several messages from Tony.

Oh boy, I thought, as I clicked the first one open.

Why didn't you tell me you were going to be in town today?!

Why didn't you come visit me?

I thought we were friends.

I am hurt.

Very, very hurt by what you did.

I don't know if I will be able to forgive you.

I then opened a text message from Gibbs:

Told you. Was all it said.

I smiled a little, as I remembered Gibbs telling me that Tony was going to blow up my phone with messages.

Yeah, you told me. I wrote back to Gibbs, and sent it.

I then wrote back to Tony.

I'm sorry, Tony. I was going to visit you, but something came up. I will make it up to you.

Once the message was sent, I called Hetty.

She answered on the second ring:

"Ah, Miss Taylor! How was your flight?" I heard Hetty ask.

"It was good, Hetty." I said. "So, where do you want to meet?"

"How about you come over to my house this evening for dinner? We can talk then." Hetty said. "For now, how about you call Mr. Deeks? He's worried about you. And, he hasn't taken his lunch break yet."

I smiled.

"Ok." I said. "I'll do that. See you later, Hetty."

"See you later, my dear." Hetty said. Then she hung up.

I hung up my phone just as a text message from Tony popped up.

Promise? It said.

Yes. I promise. I wrote back to him.

As soon as that message sent, I called Marty.

A smile came to my face as the phone began to ring.

The phone was answered on the third ring:

"Detective Marty Deeks phone." I heard a female voice say.

"Hi." I said. "Is Marty there?"

"Yes he is." The girl said. "Can I ask who's calling?"

"Emily." I said.

"Emily, huh?" The girl asked. "Are you sure you have the right Marty?"

"Kensi, give me the phone." I heard Marty say.

I smiled more.

"No. I want to talk to her." The girl, who's name was apparently Kensi, said.

"Kensi Blye, you give me that phone right now!" I heard Marty say seriously. "I've been waiting all day for this call, and I will not waste anymore of the hour I get to talk to her by trying to get it out of your tiny, yet, very powerful hands."

Then, there was silence.

A couple seconds went by, then I heard Marty say happily:

"Hey, Cupcake! How's my favorite girl doing?"

"I'm doing just fine." I said. "How are you doing?"

"Better than I was." Marty said.

"Dickerson still giving you a hard time?" I asked him.

Dickerson was one of the head ones at LAPD and he really hated Marty.

"Yeah. That asshole called me several times before you did….I swear he only did it to piss me off." Marty said.

"Want me to kick his ass?" I asked.

Marty laughed.

"Despite me knowing first hand that you're very capable of doing that, I think I will survive." He said.

"What are you doing right now?" I asked.

"Paper work." Marty said, with a sigh.

"Think you can slip away?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Why?" He asked.

"Because I can be at your apartment in about an hour." I said. "Maybe less. Especially if I speed."

It was silent on the other end of the phone.

"Marty?" I asked.

"Are you being completely serious right now?" He asked, his voice the most serious as I ever heard it.

"Yes." I said. "I'm being really serious."

"Good." Marty said, his voice going back to normal.

"So, I'll meet you at your house?" I asked.

"Hell yes!" Marty said, as if it was obvious.

I laughed.

"Ok. I'll see you soon then." I said.

"Definitely." He said.

I then hung up.

I sighed happily.

It has been too long since I've seen Marty.

I got up, and made my way quickly toward the rental car place.


	5. Chapter 5

(Meanwhile, at NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

As morning turned into afternoon, the team and I continued to do paper work. In fact, Sam, Kensi, and I were still doing paper work.

Deeks, however, was staring off into space.

Up until now, Deeks phone had been ringing off the hook. When it rang the first time, Deeks got excited, and answered his phone quickly.

But after he said: "Deeks", and the person on the other side of the phone began to talk, all traces of happiness left his face. Replacing it with sadness and irritation.

This happened about three times.

After the third time, Deeks answered his phone with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Now, as Deeks stared off into space, there was sadness and concern written on his face.

Whoever this girl was, she must mean more to him than he let on.

And as I looked at Sam and Kensi, I could tell they came up with the same conclusion as me, as they too, looked worried as they glanced at Deeks every so often.

When I glanced back up at Deeks again, his phone began to ring.

Deeks made no move to answer it.

As it continued to ring, Kensi, Sam, and I looked at each other, then looked back at Deeks.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" I asked him.

Deeks just continued to stare off into space. Not responding in any way.

Kensi got up and walked over to Deeks desk, just as the phone stopped ringing.

Sam and I shared a look of concern for our LAPD liaison, before we looked back at Deeks, who didn't seem aware that Kensi was by his desk.

"Deeks," Kensi began.

But before she could continue, Deeks phone rang again.

When Deeks made no move to answer it, Kensi picked up his phone, and answered it.

"Detective Marty Deeks phone." Kensi said, as she looked at Deeks. "Yes he is. Can I ask who's calling?"

Suddenly, Kensi smiled alittle.

"Emily, huh?" Kensi said.

At the mention of the name Emily, Deeks seemed to have snapped out of his trance as he looked at Kensi. A hint of relief showing on his face.

Emily must be the name of the girl, I thought, Otherwise, Deeks wouldn't have reacted that way.

"Are you sure you have the right Marty?" Kensi asked.

"Kensi, give me the phone." Deeks said, as he made a move to grab his phone from Kensi.

Kensi stepped out of his reach.

"No. I want to talk to her." Kensi said, as Deeks made another attempt to reach for his phone, but didn't succeed, and was now leaning across his desk.

"Kensi Blye, you give me that phone right now!" Deeks said, in a very serious tone that I hardy heard him use. "I've been waiting all day for this call, and I will not waste any more of the hour I get to talk to her by trying to get it out of your tiny, yet, very powerful hands."

Then, there was silence, as Kensi and Deeks just stared at each other.

A couple seconds went by, then Kensi gave Deeks his phone.

Deeks took his phone, and seemed to have relaxed a little, as he said in his normal happy tone:

"Hey, Cupcake! How's my favorite girl doing?"

Deeks then sat down in his chair.

"Better than I was." Deeks said.

I looked at Kensi to see she was studying Deeks. Obviously trying to figure out what the girl, who's name was apparently Emily, was saying to him.

"Yeah. That asshole called me several times before you did….I swear he only did it to piss me off." Deeks said, as he looked anywhere in the room but at me, Kensi, or Sam.

Suddenly, Deeks laughed.

"Despite me knowing first hand that you're very capable of doing that, I think I will survive." Deeks said.

When Deeks said that, I found myself interested as to what she just said to have Deeks say that.

I looked at Sam to see him looking back at me. Clearly interested to know what she said also.

"Paper work." Deeks said with a sigh, as Sam and I looked back at him.

"Yeah. Why?" Deeks asked.

Suddenly, Deeks facial expression turned into one of disbelief.

Clearly whatever she was saying to him, he didn't believe.

"Deeks…..You ok?" Kensi asked him, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Are you being completely serious right now?" Deeks asked, his voice the most serious as I ever heard it. Completely ignoring Kensi.

It was silent for a moment, then, Deeks smiled a really big smile.

"Good." Deeks said, his voice going back to normal.

Kensi, Sam, and I looked at him confused, yet, relieved that he was ok at the same time.

"Hell yes!" Deeks said, as if it was obvious to whatever he and the girl were talking about. "Definitely."

Then, he was silent for a moment, and hung up the phone. A big smile still painted on his face, as he stood up, and began to close some folders he was working on, on his desk.

"So, what did she say?" Kensi asked him.

Deeks looked up at her and said:

"She's in town. I'm going to go see her."

"Do you really think Hetty will let you go see a friend right now?" I asked him. "It would be one thing if you have been working this whole time, but since you've been in a trance for hours, and got no work done, I doubt she will let you leave."

"He's right, Deeks." Sam said. "Callen's tried god knows how many times, and each time, Hetty made him stay here."

"Hetty isn't going to stop me." Deeks said confidently.

"Uh huh, ok." Sam said, clearly not believing him. "Keep believing that."

Deeks just smiled at Sam, as he walked over to the bull pen's entrance, and stopped.

"Hetty!" Deeks called over to our boss, who was currently sitting at her desk reading a book.

Hetty looked up from her book, and looked at Deeks.

"Yes, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

"I'm going to head out for lunch." Deeks said. "If that's ok?"

I smiled and shook my head, as I waited for Hetty to tell him to get back to work.

"Have a good time, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

My smile instantly disappeared, as I just stared at Hetty in shock.

"Thanks, Hetty!" Deeks said.

Then he turned around and faced us.

"See you cats later." Deeks said.

Then, Deeks happily walked away from us, toward the entrance of the building.

I looked at Sam and Kensi, who were mirroring my shock expression.

"Ok, he definitely made a deal with her or something." Kensi said, still not believing what just happened.

"There's definitely something." Sam said. "But what?"

I looked back at Hetty, who went back to reading her book.

There was definitely something we were missing.

I've been having that feeling for a while now.

It just seems as if they were up to something.

Or knew something the rest of us didn't.

All in all, it seemed as if Hetty had a soft spot for our LAPD liaison.

I just couldn't figure out why.

"But what indeed." I said.

I got up from my desk, walked out of the bull pen, and went straight to Hetty's desk.

About a minute went by, then, without looking up, Hetty asked:

"What can I do for you, Mr. Callen?"

"What's the deal with you and Deeks?" I asked her, getting right to what I wanted to know.

"What do you mean, Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.

"In some ways you treat him differently than you would treat Sam, Kensi, or myself." I said. "And I want to know why."

Hetty finally looked up from her book, and looked at me.

"I do not treat Mr. Deeks differently than I treat you, Miss Blye, or Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

"You just let him go out to lunch, when he hasn't done any work." I pointed out to her. "I've tried doing that several times, including last week, but you told me I will get lunch when I've finished one report."

"Mr. Deeks was distracted, Mr. Callen." Hetty said. "He was worried about his friend. I'm sure that after he has lunch with his friend, he will be at ease, and be focused on getting work done when he comes back. You of all people should know that I want my agents to be a hundred percent focused, Mr. Callen."

I thought about what she said, and knew it was true.

"Is there anything else you want, Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.

"No." I said.

"Then I suggest you get back to your paper work." Hetty said.

I nodded.

Then, I left Hetty's office, and walked back to my desk.


	6. Chapter 6

(Outside Marty Deeks Apartment)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sitting on the top step of the stairs that led to Marty's apartment, and waited for him to show up.

About five minutes went by, when a car pulled into the parking lot, and parked in an empty parking space next to my rental car.

The driver door opened, and Marty stepped out of the car. Looking right at me.

"Cupcake!" Marty said, smiling, as he closed the door.

I smiled, as I stood up. I then went down the stairs, and ran to Marty, who had his arms wide open, and hugged him. Marty hugged me back tightly.

"Oh Emmy, I missed you so, so, so much!" Marty said.

"I missed you a lot too, Marty." I said.

Then, we pulled away.

"What brings you to LA?" Marty asked.

"Vacation." I said. "And, Hetty wants to talk to me."

"Ah." He said. "Well, let's get the food out of the car and talk more in the house while we eat."

Marty then walked over to the passenger side door of his car and opened it.

"Monty missed you a lot too." Marty said, as he grabbed two bags full of food out of the car. "He'll be really happy to see you."

I closed the car door.

"I can't wait to see him." I said, as we headed toward the stairs.

Once we were inside his apartment, Marty walked straight to the kitchen as I closed the door.

And that's when I heard running.

I looked toward the noise and saw Monty running over to me.

"Monty!" I said, as I squatted down to meet him.

"Have you been a good boy while I've been away?" I asked, as I petted him. His tail wagging fast.

"Yes, I have." I heard Marty say.

"I was talking to Monty." I said.

"Yes for him, too." I heard Marty say.

I smiled and shook my head.

I then stood up and walked into the kitchen. Monty following me.

Once I entered the kitchen, I saw Marty taking Chinese food out of the bags he brought in, and sat them on the table.

"Ooo! Chinese." I said, as I walked over to him.

"Yep." Marty said.

"Egg rolls?" I asked.

"Of course!" Marty said, as he sat down the now empty bags on the floor.

Marty and I sat down at the table, and began to dig into the food.

"So, do you know what Hetty wants?" Marty asked.

"Not a clue." I said. "I'm having dinner tonight at her place. Want to come? I'm sure Hetty wouldn't mind. It would be like old times."

Marty smiled.

"It would be." He said. "But unfortunately, Dickerson put me on night patrol this week. So, I can't."

"Damn Dickerson." I said.

Marty laughed a little.

"How's the NCIS agents treating you?" I asked.

"Good." Marty said. "They actually make me feel as if I belong there."

I smiled.

"That's good." I said.

"It is good." He agreed, nodding. "How's DEA treating you?"

"They're treating me alright." I said.

"They better." Marty said. "Otherwise, they will have me to deal with."

I laughed.

"What?" Marty said. "I can be tough, you know."

"I know." I said. "Hetty taught you a couple things."

"She may have taught me some things, but she taught you everything." He said.

"Yeah, she pretty much did." I said.

It was silent for a minute or two, then, I heard Marty ask:

"So, uh…how long are you going to stay in LA?"

"I don't know." I said.

"I think you should stay." I heard Marty say.

I looked at Marty and saw him looking back at me.

"I want you to stay." He said. "Hell, even Hetty wants you back here. But we both know she won't say it out loud."

"Marty," I began.

"I know why you left. And, I get it." Marty said quickly. "And if I was you, I would have done the same thing. But…We want you back, Em. Me, Hetty, Monty…..We want you back. And let's face it, waiting two years to see you again was too long…I need my best friend back."

I looked at Marty as I thought about what he said.

"You don't' have to decide now." Marty said. "Just think about it…Ok?"

I nodded.

"Ok." I said. "I will."

(One Hour Later,)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V)

Sam, Kensi, and I were talking, when we heard whistling.

The three of us looked to where the whistling was coming from to see Deeks coming back into the bull pen.

The three of us watched him, as he walked over to his desk and sat down.

Deeks then opened a folder on his desk that had his paper work in it, and gladed up at us.

Once he saw us staring at him, Deeks stopped whistling.

"What?" Deeks asked.

"How did your lunch date go with Emily?" Kensi asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Deeks asked. Then, a smile came to his face. "Ah, I see. You're jealous that I had lunch with another girl. Don't worry, Sunshine, you're the only one for me."

"In your dreams." Kensi said.

"If you dream it, it can happen." Deeks said, smiling more.

"Not that dream." Kensi said.

"How did lunch go?" Sam asked, gaining Deeks attention.

"Good." Deeks said. "It was very good to see her again."

"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked, curious.

"Besides fifteen minutes ago? Two years." Deeks said.

"That's a long time." Sam said.

"Very long time." Deeks said, agreeing. "Anyway, I better get to my paper work."

Then, Deeks began to do his paper work.


	7. Chapter 7

(Outside Hetty's House)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I knocked on the door to Hetty's house, and waited.

Five seconds went by, when the door opened. Revealing one the house's I knew by heart, and the little woman I considered my guardian angel.

"Ah, Emily!" Hetty said with a smile.

"Hetty." I said, smiling back.

"You're right on time." She said. "Do come in."

I walked inside the house, and Hetty closed the door.

"So, how have you been, Hetty?" I asked, as I looked around the familiar living room.

Everything was exactly the way I remember it being.

"I've been just fine." Hetty said. "How have you been?"

"Good." I said, as Hetty and I headed to the dinning room.

"I made your favorite." Hetty said. "Chicken parmesan."

I smiled as we entered the dinning room.

"Hetty, you didn't have to do that." I said.

"Yes, I did." Hetty said.

We both sat down at the table were a plate of chicken parmesan and a cup of tea waited for both of us.

"Hetty," I said, as I saw the tea. "You know I'm not fond of tea."

Hetty just smiled.

"Humor me." She said.

I smiled a little.

"Now, eat! Eat!" Hetty said.

I laughed a little, then we began to eat.

"So, how is Jethro?" Hetty asked.

"He's good." I said. "How are your agents?"

"They're doing well." Hetty said. "Mr. Callen, however, has become more observant….If that is even possible."

"How so?" I asked.

"I believe he may be very close to discovering that Mr. Deeks and I have known each other longer than he thinks." Hetty said.

"Well then, Mr. Callen would be right." I said. "And you would be right when you've told me that he is the best agent you've seen or had in a long time."

"It's still true regardless." Hetty said. "I wish you could meet him, along with Mr. Hanna, Miss Blye, Miss Jones, and Mr. Beale."

"Me too." I said. "They all seem great."

"They are." Hetty said. "They make a great team."

I smiled, as I noticed how proud she was of them.

I was happy she was happy.

"However," She said. "If you were to join the team, it will be the perfect team."

"Hetty," I began.

"Just think about it, Miss Taylor." Hetty said. "Especially since you've already passed all the requirements and test to join NCIS."

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked, as I picked up the tea cup and took a sip.

I then made a disgusted face, as I sat the tea cup back down.

"Unfortunately, no." Hetty said.

She then got up, and walked into the living room.

A minute or two later, Hetty came back into the Dining room with a folder. She then sat back down in her seat.

"As you are aware, I have asked you to come here, for a favor." Hetty said.

I nodded.

"Director Vance has informed me of a billionaire three times over, is in Los Angeles." Hetty said. "According to Vance, this billionaire has stolen a microchip that has very important documents on it."

"What kind of documents?" I asked.

"Director Vance has told me that he couldn't tell me." Hetty said. "But I do know what's on it."

"And you won't tell me how?" I asked.

Hetty just smiled.

"I have to keep some secrets to myself, Miss Taylor." She said.

I nodded, understanding what she meant.

Hetty's smile then faded.

"The microchip has government secrets on it." Hetty said. "Secrets, that if in the wrong hands-"

"Hell will break loose." I said, understanding.

"Hell will break loose, indeed." Hetty said.

"And I assume you want me to get the microchip back before the billionaire cracks the code." I said.

Hetty nodded.

"Ok." I said. "What do you need me to do?"

"You need to go undercover." Hetty said. "Get close to him. And at first moment, get the microchip."

I nodded.

"Ok." I said.

"Everything you need, including your alias, is in this folder." Hetty said. "Look over it thoroughly."

I nodded, as Hetty held the folder out to me.

I took the folder from her.

"And Miss Taylor," I heard Hetty say.

I looked up at her.

"Be careful." She said.

"Always." I said.


	8. Chapter 8

(One Month Later,)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"This is the last time I'm letting you drive me anywhere." Sam said, as we headed inside the NCIS building.

"You always say that." I said.

"Yeah, but this time, I mean it." Sam said.

"You always say that, too." I pointed out to him, as we entered the bull pen.

"You need to retake driver's ed., G." I heard Sam say, as I walked over to my desk, and sat down my bag. "I swear your driving gets worse every day."

"Hey, my driving, is just fine." I said, as I turned around to face him. "Don't forget how many times I saved your ass because of my driving skills."

"That's because I had to save _your_ ass first." Sam said.

"Good morning, grumpy old men." Kensi said, as she entered the bull pen, and walked straight to her desk.

"Morning, Kensi." Sam said. "Where's Deeks?"

"He's spending the day at LAPD." Kensi said, sounding a bit sad.

"I'm sure you will survive without him." I said.

Kensi glared at me.

I just smiled at her.

Suddenly, we heard an all too familiar whistle from Eric.

Sam, Kensi, and I looked up and saw Eric looking down at us from the second floor of the building.

"Got a case guys." Eric said. "And like always, it's not good."

Then, Eric walked back to OPS.

Sam, Kensi, and I walked out of the bull pen, went upstairs, and entered OPS.

"What you got for us, Eric?" I asked.

"Meet Jerry Burke." Eric said. "He is a thirty four year old Marine, who just got back from deployment about two months ago."

"This morning, he was found dead in his hotel room." Nell said, picking up from where Eric left off.

Then, suddenly, pictures of the dead Marine was shown on the big screen in front of us.

"From the looks of the wounds, it's looks as if he was stabbed to death." Kensi said.

"It's because he was." Sam said.

"Do we have any suspects?" I asked.

"Yes, and no." Eric said. "I pulled up the security footage from the hotel cameras, but the person in question kept his face hidden from the camera."

Then, a video popped up of the hotel room, showing a man in a black hoodie going into Jerry Burke's apartment, then coming out about five minutes later. Not looking once at the camera.

"He knew where the cameras were." Kensi said. "Which means our mystery guest was probably there before."

"Probably." I said, agreeing. "Did he have any family or friends?"

"Parents are deceased." Nell said. "He's an only child. And has no wife or girlfriend."

"What about friends?" Sam asked.

"Still working on that." Eric said. "So far, all the friends we came across are currently overseas."

"What about enemies?" Kensi asked.

"If he has any, we haven't found them yet." Eric said.

"So basically all we have is a crime scene." I said.

"Yeah, pretty much." Eric said.

"What about the person who found him?" Sam asked.

"A person made a nine one one call." Nell said.

"Do you know from where?" I asked.

"A payphone about a block from the hotel." Nell said. "About five minutes after our mystery guest left our victim."

"Which means the murderer and the caller are the same person." Kensi said.

"Eric, Nell, find the audio of the nine one one call." I said. "Kensi, Sam, and I are going to check out the hotel room."

Sam, Kensi, and I were outside the hotel room with our guns drawn.

Sam slowly turned the door knob, and opened the hotel room door, stepping inside and putting his gun up as he did.

Kensi and I followed him inside, our guns at the ready also as we began to search the small hotel room.

"Clear." I heard Sam say, as I walked into the tiny kitchen.

"Clear." I heard Kensi say.

"Clear." I said, as I put my gun away.

I then began to look around the kitchen for anything that may be important.

"You know, for a guy, he was quite clean." I heard Kensi say.

"Too clean if you ask me." I heard Sam say. "Even G. has an empty beer bottle or two just lying around his house."

I was going to protest, but then realized that it was true.

"It's true." I admitted, as I scanned the counter.

It was completely spotless.

I walked to the doorway that led back to the living room and looked at Kensi, who was still looking for any sign of clues.

"Find anything?" I asked.

"Nope." Kensi said. Then, she looked toward the entrance of the hotel room.

A surprised look came on her face.

Then, two seconds later, Kensi bolted toward the door, yelling:

"Runner!"

I instantly ran after Kensi, as Sam ran out of the room he was in, and followed me.

I tried to keep up with Kensi, but she eventually ended up a block ahead of Sam and I.

"Damn that girl can run." Sam said.

"You're telling me." I said, as we entered a construction site that we saw Kensi and another person run in.

"I bet you wished you never had those waffles this morning now, huh?" Sam asked me.

"Don't start Rocky." I said.

It was then that I saw Kensi and another person fighting up ahead.

The person fighting Kensi suddenly kicked Kensi to the ground, and handcuffed her to the wire fence nearby.

Then, the person began to run again.

"Get Kensi out of the handcuffs. I'll keep going." I said to Sam.

Sam ran over to Kensi, and I kept running in the direction the person went in.

I saw the runner turn up ahead.

I took the same turn, and saw that it was a dead end. Being blocked off by a wire fence.

The person seemed to have noticed this too, as the person stopped and turned around.

I instantly drew my gun up and pointed it at the person, who I recognized as a girl, in all black clothing. Including a leather jacket.

"Federal agent." I said. You're your hands up."

The girl didn't do anything. She just stared at me.

"I said, your hands up." I said.

The girl slowly put her hands up.

"Turn around." I said, as I began to walk over to her.

The girl turned around, so that her back was to me.

I put my gun away, as I got closer to her.

Once I reached her, I grabbed her left arm to handcuff her.

And as soon as I did, the girl turned around quickly, and punched me. Her right fist connecting with my nose.

"Ah!" I said, as my hands instantly let of her, and flew to my nose. Pain making its presence known.

I looked at her and saw she now held a gun aimed at me.

I reached for my own gun and realized it was missing.

I then quickly realized that the gun she was currently pointing at me, was my own.

The girl and I stared at each other.

I was waiting for her to shoot me.

In fact, I was pretty certain she was going to shoot me.

Maybe even kill me.

So, when she began to back up to the wire fence, with the gun still pointed at me, I began to brace myself for the bullet I was sure would come.

I closed my eyes.

The next thing I heard, was something hitting the ground.

I opened my eyes and saw that the girl was now on the other side of the fence, and was now running away.

"G.!" I heard Sam call from behind me. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sam." I said, unable to shake the shock of not being shot, as I watch the girl run farther away.

I then turned around and faced Sam and Kensi.

"Ooo!" Sam said.

"Oh my god." Kensi said, her eyes wide.

"What?" I asked confused.

"What happened to your nose?" Sam asked.

I lightly touched my nose, and winced a little, as I remembered what happened.

"Come on, G." Sam said. "Let's get you looked at."


	9. Chapter 9

(Meanwhile, At a Random Coffee store)

(Emily's P.O.V)

I walked out of the Coffee shop with two cups of coffee, and headed toward the car that was across the street.

I then opened up the passenger door, and got inside. Closing the door shortly after.

"Thank god you're back." I heard Marty say from the driver's seat.

I handed him his coffee.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Marty said, as he took the coffee from me.

"You're welcome." I said. "You know, you should go to bed earlier at night."

"Maybe you should take your own advice." Marty said. Then, he took a sip of his coffee. "Ah! Liquid heaven!"

I giggled and shook my head. Then I took a sip of my own coffee.

"So, want to explain to me why you're dressed in all black?" Marty asked. "Not that you don't look good because to be honest you look smokin' hot, especially with that leather jacket…You look like a badass."

"Thank you." I said. "But the reason is classified."

"A.K.A whatever Hetty wanted you to do?" Marty asked.

"Exactly." I said.

"How's that going by the way?" He asked.

"It's going ok." I said. "Slower than I anticipated…but ok."

"That's good." He said.

"I'm suppose to meet up with Hetty in a couple days to update her." I said. Then, I sighed, and looked at the time on my watch. "Aren't you suppose to be at work right now?"

"I am at work." I heard Marty say.

"Oh, really?" I said, as I looked at him. "What kind of work are you doing right now?"

"Staying away from Rosa." Marty said.

I just stared at him.

"Rosa." I said. "As in, Detective Lisa Rosa?"

"Yeah, same one." Marty said.

"Why are you avoiding her?" I asked.

"Loyalty to you." Marty said, with a smile.

I smiled back at him.

"Also, she's my new partner at LAPD and I discovered if I arrive at the station at least fifteen minutes late, she does not ask me to get her coffee." He said.

"Why is she your partner?" I asked.

"Because you- know- who transferred to Miami." He said.

"He did?" I asked surprised.

"Yep." Marty said. "Broke it off with Rosa, and moved to Miami."

"Wow." I said.

I couldn't believe that happened.

"Hey, you ok?" I heard Marty ask, concern clear in his voice.

"Um, yeah." I said. "I'm fine."

I then gave him a reassuring smile.

Just then, my phone began to ring.

I took my phone out of my pocket and saw the name: Raphael.

"Be very quiet." I said seriously to Marty.

Marty looked at me confused; but didn't speak.

I answered my phone.

"Rebecca." I said.

"Rebecca, how are you on this fine morning?" I heard the man who I've been getting close to for the last month say.

"I'm doing fine, baby." I said. "But I would be doing a lot better if I was with you."

"Is that right?" Raphael said. "Listen, Sweetheart, I need you do to me a favor."

"Of course. I'm all ears." I said.

"There is this man named Jerry. You remember him right?" Raphael asked.

"Yes I do." I said. Remembering the man Raphael introduced to me a couple weeks ago.

"Jerry is suppose to meet with me today." Raphael said. "Can you go and get him for me?"

"Of course." I said. "Just send me the address, and I will get him."

"You're a gem." Raphael said. "See you when you get here."

"See you." I said.

Then, Raphael hung up.

I hung up my phone, and sighed.

I looked at Marty to see him looking back at me. His eyebrow raised in a questioning manner.

"Something you want to tell me….Rebecca?" He asked.

"It's my alias for what Hetty wants me to do." I explained.

"I see." Marty said

Suddenly, my phone jingled.

I looked at my phone and saw a text message from Raphael, telling me where this Jerry guy lived.

"I have to go." I said. "And you, have to go to work, so that you won't get fired."

"If I got fired, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." Marty said, as I opened up the car door, and got out of the car. "Everyone pretty much hates me at LAPD anyway."

I closed the car door, and leaned in the open window.

"Then why don't you just join NCIS permanently?" I asked him. "You know Hetty will accept you with open arms if you go full time."

"See you later, Emily." Marty said, as he started his car.

I smiled, as I moved away.

"I'll call you tonight." I said.

"I'll be waiting for your call." Marty said.

Then, Marty drove away.

I looked back down at the address on my phone.

It was a hotel apartment not too far away from where I currently was.

So, I began to walk in the direction of the hotel.

Once I arrived at the Hotel, I finished up my coffee, threw the cup away in a near by trash bin, and headed toward the building.

I looked at the hotel apartment numbers, looking for apartment nine.

Once I reached eight, I stopped, as I saw that the door to apartment nine was wide open.

I cautiously walked up to the open hotel room door, and stopped in front of it to see a girl looking around in the living room.

I suddenly got a bad feeling, as I noticed the blood on the carpet floor by the couch.

"Find anything?" I heard a man ask.

"Nope." The girl said.

Then, she looked toward where I was and spotted me. A hint of surprise shown on her face.

I wasn't sure what to do.

But then I noticed a gun tucked away behind her back, and knew that there was only one thing I could do.

So, I bolted.

"Runner!" I heard the girl yell behind me.

As I continued to run, thoughts ran through my mind.

Who were they?

Why were they at the hotel room?

Did they kill the one person who would have probably helped me get to the microchip and bring Raphael down?

I looked behind me to see the girl was gaining on me.

I looked forward once again.

How the hell am I going to lose her?

As I continued to run, I spotted a construction site.

I ran toward it.

Once I was a good distance from the construction site entrance, I got tackled from behind to the ground.

I quickly rolled over, and shoved the girl who was running after me, off of me, and stood up.

The girl quickly stood up also, and took a swing at me.

I ducked, and hit her on the inside of her left knee.

She made a noise of pain, as she moved to put her hands there.

When she did that, I saw she had handcuffs in her back pocket.

I quickly took them.

The girl attempted to hit me again. And once again I avoided the hit.

Then, I kicked her in the stomach.

She fell down on the ground.

I quickly bent down, grabbed one of her wrist, and handcuffed her to the wire fence before she got up again.

I then took off running once again.

After running for a good two minute straight, I turned a corner, and continued to run.

Seconds later, I realized I was at a dead end, as I saw the wire fence blocking my way of escape.

Not wanting to climb over the fence, I turned around to go back, but instantly stopped dead in my tracks.

There was a man, standing in front of me, with his gun pointed at me.

"Federal agent." He said. "Put your hands up."

I studied his face, and realized he looked really familiar to me.

"I said, put your hands up." He said.

I slowly put my hands up, as I tried to figure out where I had seen him before.

"Turn around." He said, as he began to walk closer to me.

I turned around, so that I was no longer facing him.

Despite him saying he was a Federal Agent, I was trying to figure out if he was a bad guy or not.

Was he someone I put away?

Was he someone I rescued?

Did I work with him before?

I couldn't figure it out.

However, regardless if he was a Federal Agent like he said he was or not, I couldn't let him have me.

So, as soon as I felt him grab my left arm, I quickly turned around, and punched him in the nose.

Not hard enough to break it, but hard enough to make it feel as if I did.

"Ah!" He said, as his hands instantly let go of me, and flew to his nose.

I took advantage of his vulnerability, and quickly took his gun, and pointed it at him.

The man then looked at me. Noticing a gun in my hands.

One of his hands flew to where he had his gun before I took it.

Realization quickly came upon his face, that I had taken his gun.

The man and I stared at each other.

And as we did, I was whacking my brain to figure out why him, and his blue eyes, seem so familiar to me.

And still, I came up with nothing.

Knowing my only escape route now was by climbing over the fence, I began to back up to the wire fence behind me.

The man closed his eyes. Clearly expecting me to shoot him.

Maybe even kill him.

Well, he's about to be put in shock, I thought, as I put his gun in between the small of my back and my black jeans.

I then turned around, and climbed the fence.

Once I landed on the other side, I began to run once again. Wondering if I will figure out where I had seen that man before.


	10. Chapter 10

(At Raphael's Mansion)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

Raphael just stared at me in silence.

I had just told him what had happened once I arrived at the hotel he sent me to.

"And you escaped?" Raphael asked, clearly surprised by this.

"Yes." I said.

"Hm." Raphael said, clearly thinking now.

I suddenly had a feeling that I wasn't suppose to come back here with Jerry after all.

That the people at the hotel, whoever they were, were suppose to take me.

"Find them." Raphael said, a hint of anger in his voice. "Take Raul, Markus, and Adrian with you. And don't come back empty handed. Otherwise," Raphael then looked me over. "Something awful will happen to you…Despite how pretty you are…..Understand?"

"Don't worry." I said. "I won't come back empty handed."

Then, I turned around, and walked away from him. Motioning for Raul, Markus, and Adrian to follow me, as I wondered:

How am I going to not come back empty handed, and meet Hetty for my progress report, with Raul, Markus, and Adrian around?

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Find anything, Eric?" I asked, as Sam, Kensi, and I entered OPS.

"Yes." Eric began. "In fact, we found-"

Then Eric looked at me, and stopped talking. His mouth opened in little in shock.

I looked at Eric and waited.

"I-uh….um…..We…..Um….." Eric stuttered out.

I looked at Nell.

"What Eric is trying to say, is that we found the nine one one audio call." Nell said.

"Let's hear it." I said.

Nell brought up the audio, and played it.

"Nine one one, what's your emergency?" We heard the operator say.

"There has been a murder at the hotel exactly a block from here." We heard a man say.

Then, we heard the man hang up.

"That's it?" Kensi asked.

Nell nodded.

"That man definitely wanted to keep it short and sweet." Sam said.

"What about the woman?" I asked.

"Still waiting for her to be identified." Nell said.

"Alright." Sam said. "Keep us posted."

Nell nodded.

Sam, Kensi, and I began to walk out of the room, when I heard Eric ask:

"Callen, what happened to your nose?"

"The girl hit him." I heard Sam say.

I stopped walking and looked at him to see a big smile on his face.

"Hey, I was about to arrest her." I said defensively.

"Your bruised nose says otherwise." Sam said, as we began to walk again.

"It was a hard hit!" I said.

Sam just shook his head. His smile getting bigger by the minute.

"Was it a hard enough hit that it distracted you enough to have her steal your gun?" Sam asked, as we walked down the stairs.

"I still don't know how she pulled that off without me knowing it." I said, as I once again went over it in my mind.

It was rare that anyone got the best of me.

So to have that girl not only hit me in the nose, but pickpocket my gun off me, was a surprise that I still haven't gotten over.

"Mr. Callen." I heard a voice say, once Sam and I stepped on the main floor.

I looked toward the voice and saw Hetty looking at me.

"Good luck, G." I heard Sam say, with a pat on my shoulder, before he walked away.

I walked over to Hetty.

"Yes, Hetty?" I asked.

"How is your nose feeling?" Hetty asked.

"Fine." I said. "Not broken. Just bruised."

"That is good to hear, Mr. Callen." Hetty said. "Now, about what happened to your gun…..You do realize you are responsible for them?"

"Yes, Hetty, I know." I said, knowing this was coming. "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything, Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

I looked at her skeptically.

"You can find your new gun on your desk." Hetty said.

She then turned around, and began to walk away.

Huh, I thought.

"Oh, and Mr. Callen," Hetty began, as she turned around to face me.

I looked at her, and waited for her to continue.

"Lose this gun, and you will be put on desk duty permanently." Hetty said.

I smiled a little, knowing she was joking.

But as she continued to look at me seriously, my smile faded as I realized she truly meant it.

"Yes, Hetty." I said.

Hetty then turned back around and headed to her office.


	11. Chapter 11

Before the beginning of this chapter, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has commented/reviewed this story so far. I truly appreciate it!

And to all of those who have favored this story, thank you! :) I'm really glad you all like it!

I hope you all continue to enjoy this story, because I'm really enjoying writing it.

Now without further ado, here is the next chapter.

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(The Next Day)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Whoa! What happened to your nose?!" I heard Deeks ask.

I looked at him to see him and Kensi enter the bull pen.

"I knew you and Sam fought, argued, and threaten each other a lot, but I never knew it got physical." Deeks said, smiling, as Kensi sat down at her desk.

"Funny." I said, not even a little amused.

"Whoa, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Deeks commented.

"G's just mad that our possible only lead to this case got away yesterday." Sam said. "Along with his gun and left him with a bruise nose."

"Aw, that sucks man." Deeks said. "Don't worry, I'm sure you will get him."

"Her." Sam said.

Deeks looked at Sam confused.

"The suspect, is a girl." Sam said.

"Callen got beat up by a girl?!" Deeks asked, a big smile coming to his face.

"She didn't beat me up." I said.

Sam and Deeks looked at me.

"She just punched me." I said. "If she HAD beaten me up, which wouldn't have happened anyway, it wouldn't just be my nose that is bruised."

It was silent for a moment, then Deeks said:

"You got beat up by a girl!"

Then, Sam and Deeks began to laugh.

I glared at them.

Then, I looked at Kensi, and saw she was laughing also.

Kensi looked at me and tried to stop laughing, but failed.

"Mr. Deeks." Said a voice, causing Deeks to jump, as him, Sam, and Kensi stopped laughing.

I looked behind Deeks and saw Hetty standing behind him.

Deeks turned around and faced Hetty.

"I thought you were suppose to be at LAPD today?" Hetty asked him.

"Hetty!" Deeks said, smiling at her. "Uh, yes, I am suppose to be there today…"

"Then why on earth are you here?" Hetty asked him. "Your shift at LAPD started five minutes ago. This will be the tenth time in two weeks you will be late."

"I know Hetty, but there's a good reason for that." Deeks said. "Just like the reason for why I'm here. I need to talk to you about….something."

"Couldn't you have just called?" Hetty asked.

"And miss seeing your face light up when you see me? Not a chance!" Deeks said.

Kensi made a disgusted noise.

I smirked.

"Oh, Sunshine, come on, don't be like that!" Deeks said, as he looked at Kensi.

"You have two minutes, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said, gaining Deeks attention once again.

"Not here." Deeks said. "This is a…..Uh…..Personal matter."

Hetty just stared at Deeks.

"ET saw the boy at sunrise before today." Deeks began. "And hasn't spoken since they agreed upon before they went their separate ways."

Kensi, Sam, and I just stared at Deeks and Hetty confused, as they stared at each other.

"The boy should give ET, more time." Hetty responded calmly. Clearly knowing what Deeks was talking about.

"The boy is worried that something may have happened between then and now." Deeks said.

"The boy should trust that ET is being careful." Hetty said.

"The boy thinks that something is keeping ET from contacting him." Deeks said. "He doesn't have a good feeling about it. Especially since ET is normally on time when it comes to contacting him."

"The boy worries too much." Hetty said. "And needs to remember, that ET has been through a lot worse."

It was silent between them for a moment, then, Deeks said quietly:

"The boy remembers the last thing that happened…before…..And won't forgive himself if…If it were to…Repeat."

Hetty nodded. Clearly understanding what Deeks was saying to her.

"I think that the boy should give ET until this time tomorrow, to contact him." Hetty said. "And if, and I do mean if, Mr. Deeks, ET does not contact the boy by then, come back, and we will talk."

Deeks nodded.

"Now, you should get going." Hetty said. "I'll let LAPD know you're on your way."

Deeks nodded again.

The, Deeks walked by Hetty, and left the bull pen.

"Hetty, what were you and Deeks talking about?" Kensi asked.

"Nothing of importance, Miss Blye." Hetty said.

Then, Hetty walked out of the bull pen, and toward her office.

"Something's not adding up." I said, as I tried to figure out what was going on between Hetty and Deeks.

"I couldn't agree with you more, G." Sam said. "Hetty and Deeks have been very secretive lately. Which wouldn't be surprising, but…."

"It's Hetty being secretive _with_ Deeks." I said.

"Deeks is hardly ever secretive." Kensi said. "Unlike Hetty, who has more secrets than the book of secrets."

"They're hiding something." Sam said.

I nodded in agreement.

"Any idea what is could be?" Kensi asked.

Sam and I shook our heads.

"Not a clue." I said.

"Ok!" I heard a voice say.

Sam, Kensi, and I looked toward the entrance of the bull pen, and saw Eric walking in.

"I have some good news for you guys." Eric said.

"You found the woman from yesterday?" I asked.

"Kind of." Eric said, as he walked over to the T.V. by Deeks desk.

"Define kind of." Sam said.

Once Eric was by the T.V., he put up a driver's license, that had a photo of the girl from yesterday on it, up on the T.V. using his handheld keyboard.

"Meet Rebecca Lorene." Eric said. "Or at least, what she goes by."

"What do you mean?" Kensi asked.

"Rebecca Lorene isn't her real name." Eric said.

"How certain are you?" Sam asked.

"Very certain." Eric said, confidently. "This name only goes back two years."

"Which means it's an alias." Kensi said.

"Have you found her real name?" I asked.

"I've been running her through every facial recognition program." Eric said. "But, so far, I haven't got a hit. However, I found this."

Then, Eric put up a photo of two girls that was taken at the beach.

"What does two college girls taking a picture at the beach have anything to do with this case, Eric?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." Eric said. "But, the people _behind_ them, do."

Then, Eric selected the part of the picture that had three people in the background, and magnified it, until we could see the picture clearly.

"That's Jerry Burke." Kensi said.

"And there's the woman." I said.

"Who's the other guy?" Sam asked.

"That is Raphael Palmer." Eric said. "He is a billionaire three times over."

"Why is a billionaire meeting with a marine?" I asked.

"That's what I thought." Eric said. "So, I looked more into what Jerry Burke did. Turns out, he was a computer analyst and hacker. One of the best. Pretty much, if you need anything for a computer, or wanted to get at something that was encrypted, he was the guy to go to."

"Why does a billionaire need a computer hacker?" I wondered out loud.

"That, I still don't know the answer to." Eric said.

"Where can we find this Raphael Palmer?" Sam asked.

"Don't know." Eric said. "All I found was that he lives in Los Angeles. As for where his house is….There is nothing coming up with his name."

"Which means he used a different name." Sam said.

"Or he's living with his mom." I said, as I looked at Sam.

Sam looked back at me.

"When was that picture taken?" Kensi asked, as Sam and I looked back at Eric.

"Four days ago." Eric said.

"Maybe Raphael got what he wanted from Jerry Burke and ended up killing him to keep his mouth shut." Sam said.

"Maybe." I said.

"But what did Raphael want with a computer analyst and hacker?" Kensi asked.

Then, it was silent for a moment as we all wondered that question.

"Keep a look out for him and the girl." I said to Eric.

"Already on it." Eric said. "I'll let you know when anything pops up."

Then, Eric left the bull pen.


	12. Chapter 12

(Hours Later)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

Sam, Kensi, and I were packing up for the day, when we heard Eric say:

"Guys! I found her!"

Kensi, Sam, and I immediately stopped what we were doing, and quickly made our way up to OPS.

"Where is she, Eric?" I asked, as soon as I entered the room.

Eric put up a live camera feed, showing the girl who's alias was Rebecca. Beside her, three body guard looking men.

"She's at Jerry Burke's hotel room." Eric said.

"And she brought company." Nell said. "Who we identified as Raul Samuels, Markus Rodrigues, and Adrian Lopez."

A picture of each man showed up on the big screen beside the video feed.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I said. "Let's go get her."

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"Are you sure you're up to this?" Sam asked me.

Sam and I were in his Challenger heading to Jerry Burke's hotel room. Kensi was in her car following us.

"Yeah." I said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, she already kicked your ass once." Sam said.

"For the last time, she did NOT beat me up." I said, a bit irritated. "She just got in a lucky punch to my nose."

"Whatever you say, G." Sam said, a smile coming to his face.

Once we got to the hotel, Sam parked the car on the side of the road, and we both got out of the car.

"We're here, Eric." I said, as Kensi got out of her car and joined us. "Where is she?"

"She went inside the hotel room a couple minutes ago." I heard Eric say in my ear.

"Someone's guarding the door."Kensi said.

I looked toward the hotel room, and saw one of the three men that was with the girl standing outside the door.

"That's Adrian Lopez." I heard Nell say.

Sam and I looked at each other. Then, we both looked at Kensi.

"What?" Kensi asked.

"Go do your thing." Sam said.

"What thing?" Kensi asked.

"You know," I began. "….Your thing that you do."

Kensi just stared at Sam and I.

"I am so putting this down as sexual harassment." Kensi mumbled as she began to walk away from us.

Once Kensi was almost to Adrian Lopez, Sam and I walked to the parking lot, and hid behind a car, with our guns at the ready.

I peeked around the car, and saw Kensi talking to Adrian.

Then, suddenly, Kensi did some quick karate moves, and as a result, Adrian was on the ground, not moving.

"Remind me to never get on her bad side." I said to Sam, as Kensi waved us over.

Sam and I made our way over to Kensi, as she got her gun at the ready.

Kensi and I were on either side of the door, while Sam stood in front of the door.

"On three." Sam said.

"One." Kensi said.

"Two." I said.

"Three." Sam said.

Then, Sam kicked the door open.

"Federal agents!" Sam shouted as he went into the room.

And right on cue, there was gun fire as Kensi and I followed Sam into the hotel room.

Kensi and I began to shoot with Sam. Both of the shooters inside going down.

I looked around the room and noticed the two people we took out were Raul Samuels and Markus Rodrigues.

No girl insight.

"Eric," I began.

"Callen, the girl is in the parking lot, running." I heard Eric say.

I immediately ran out of the hotel room. Putting my gun away as I did.

"Eric, which way did she go?" I asked, as I ran into the parking lot.

"She went west." I heard Eric say.

I then began to run west.

"You're closing in on her." I heard Nell say, as I rounded a corner.

And as soon as I did, I saw the girl not too far away, running.

I pushed my legs into overdrive, and ran faster.

About a minute or two later, I tackled her to the ground.

She quickly wiggled out of my grasps, and stood up.

I quickly stood up also, and drew my gun.

However, the girl quickly kicked it out of my hands.

She then threw a punch at me. Which I avoided, and grabbed her wrist in the process.

I then pulled her to me. Wrapping my arm tightly around her.

She struggled to get out of my hold, then stopped as she looked into my eyes.

I looked back into hers. Unable to resist.

Then, suddenly, the hand I didn't have a grip on, hit me on the nose.

Hard.

When she did that, I instantly let go of her, as pain became more dominate.

She then kicked me in the stomach, and I fell down on the ground, next to my gun.

Ignoring the pain in my nose, I grabbed my gun, and pointed it at her.

And when I did, I saw she already had a gun aimed at me.

My gun that she stoled from me.

"Federal agent." I reminded her. "Drop the gun."

"I would do as he says." I heard Sam say behind me.

The girl looked behind me. Obviously seeing Sam.

Then, she looked back at me.

A couple seconds went by, then, the girl squatted down, placed the gun on the ground, and stood back up with her hands up.

The next thing I knew, I saw Kensi walk by me, with her handcuffs in her hands.

Kensi walked over to the girl and handcuffed her without any problems.

I lowered my gun and stood up, as Kensi took the girl away.

I walked over to where she laid my gun on the ground, and picked it up.

"You ok, G?" I heard Sam ask.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I said.

I then looked at Sam and saw him smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." Sam said. "I just see that she kicked your ass again."

I glared at him, and began to walk in the direction Kensi went in.

"Mystery girl, two. G, zero." Sam said, walking in step with me.

"You're keeping count?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Sam said. "It's not every day someone gets the best of G. Callen. Let alone twice."

I shook my head and smiled a little. Knowing, it was true.

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(Meanwhile, Somewhere in Los Angeles)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

Raphael's bodyguards and I have been driving around Los Angeles ever since we have left Raphael's mansion.

While Raul, Markus, and Adrian thought we were driving around until I saw the people who I saw at the hotel, I was actually just buying myself some time to figure out what I was going to do to get rid of Raul, Markus, and Adrian so that I could call Marty, and meet up with Hetty to tell her my current problem.

No doubt Marty was probably concerned, if not freaking out, that I haven't called him like I said I would. Especially since, I always called Marty when I said I would.

I had to think of a plan. And I had to think of it now.

I was running out of time, and if I didn't think of a plan, I will be found out, if I hadn't been found out already.

"Miss Lorene," I heard Raul say from the driver's seat. "We have been driving around Los Angeles for hours. Do you mind telling us who you are looking for, so we can help?"

I didn't answer him right away. I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do.

I then thought of the hotel room, and how those people were there.

My mind then drifted off to the man who looked so familiar to me, but have yet to place where I've seen him before.

"Miss Lorene?" I heard Raul say.

"I know where to go." I said.

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Raul parked the car in the hotel parking lot.

"Why are we here, Miss Lorene?" I heard Raul ask me.

"You're not paid to ask questions." I said sternly, as I gave him a look that said: "No more talking."

I got out of the car, and headed toward the hotel room that Jerry Burke was staying in. Raul, Markus, and Adrian followed me.

Once we reached the room, I faced them.

"Adrian, you stand guard outside. Raul, Markus, come with me." I instructed.

I then opened the door to the hotel room, and walked inside.

I walked in a little ways and looked around the room.

I quickly realized that it was a crime scene.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Then, I turned around just as Markus closed the hotel room door.

"Look around this room for any clues." I said. "If you find anything, and I mean anything at all, tell me. I'm going to go search the bedroom."

Raul and Markus nodded.

I walked away from them, and went toward the bedroom.

Once I was inside the bedroom, I began to pace back and forth.

What and I going to do? I thought, If I can't think of a solution to my situation, Raphael will probably kill me. Which would mean I failed Hetty in getting the microchip.

And I didn't want that.

I kept thinking as the minutes went by, still pacing.

Then, suddenly, I heard a loud bang followed by someone shouting:

"Federal agents!"

That's my cue to leave, I thought, Especially if I wanted to get to Hetty.

I ran to the window, as I heard the gun shots.

I opened the window, and climbed through it. Landing on the ground.

I then began to run.

I ran through the parking lot, and headed in the direction of one of Hetty's houses. Hoping I will be able to make it there.

After about a minute or two of running, I round a corner, and continued to run.

One block down, fourteen to go, I thought.

Then, about a minute or two later, I heard fast footsteps behind me.

Then, I was tackled from behind to the ground.

I quicky wiggled out of the persons grasps, and stood up.

The person quickly stood up also, and drew their gun.

I quickly kicked the gun out of the persons hand, and threw a punch.

The person avoided the punch, and grabbed my wrist.

Then, suddenly, I was pulled to the person, with their other arm wrapped tightly around me.

I tried to get out of the persons hold, but stopped once I looked into the persons eyes.

Those beautiful blue eyes.

That's when I realized, I was caught by the man who looked so familiar to me, as he looked right back into my eyes.

I snapped out of it quickly as I reminded myself that I had to get to Hetty.

So, with the hand that he didn't have a hold on, I hit him hard on his already bruised nose.

When I did that, the man let me go instantly.

Sorry, I thought. Feeling guilty about hitting him on the nose once again.

I then kicked him in the stomach. Which caused him to fall to the ground. Right next to the gun he had aimed at me.

Realizing this, I quickly drew the gun I took from him yesterday, and pointed it at him. Knowing he was going to do the same to me.

And he did not disappoint me, as I saw him grab his gun and point it at me.

"Federal agent." He said. "Drop the gun."

Still not exactly sure if he was Federal Agent or not, combined with needing to get to Hetty as soon as possible, I ignored him, and didn't lower the gun.

"I would do as he says." I heard a voice say.

I looked away from the man that looked familiar to me, to see another man and the girl I handcuffed to a wire fence yesterday, standing behind him, with their guns pointed at me.

I looked back at the man I have yet to place, as I thought about my options.

I could run for it, and risk getting shot, or killed, or both.

Or, I could surrender, and hope somehow, someway, Hetty or Marty find me.

Knowing I probably wouldn't make it if I decided to run for it, I squatted down, placed the gun on the ground, and stood back up with my hands up.

The girl put her gun away and walked toward me. Pulling out her handcuffs.

Once she reached me, she walked behind me, and handcuffed me.

The man that the girl arrived with, put his gun away as soon as the girl handcuffed me.

As the girl led me away, the man who looked so familiar to me, lowered his gun, and stood up.

I sighed quietly to myself as the girl walked me to her car in silence.

Somehow, someway, please let Hetty or Marty find me, I thought.


	13. Chapter 13

(In the Boatshed Interrogation room)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

Sam and I entered the interrogation room.

And as soon as I did, I saw the girl just sitting in her chair at the table we had in there.

She was looking right at us as we walked into the room.

Surprisingly, the girl didn't put up a fight when we put her in here and uncuffed her.

In fact, she hasn't even tried to escape like she had previously when we met.

And I'm not sure what to think about that.

The girl looked at Sam as he closed the door. Then, she looked at me.

I pulled the chair out that was across from her at the table and sat down, as I looked right back at her, trying to read her.

Unfortunately, though, I couldn't.

"Rebecca Lorene." I said. "That's the name you go by, right?"

The girl didn't say anything. She just continued to stare at me.

"We know that's not your real name." I informed her. "So….care to tell us who you really are?"

Once again, the girl remained silent.

"I know you can understand me." I said. "So, don't act like you can't."

The girl remained silent.

"Maybe she's mute, G." I heard Sam say.

"Or maybe she wants us to believe she can't speak." I said, as I continued to stare at her. "So, which one is it?"

Once again, the girl didn't speak. However, she was now looking around the room. Almost as if she was looking for something.

"If you're looking for an escape route, you're out of luck." I said, as she continued to look around. "So, you might as well cooperate, and answer our questions."

The girl continued to look around the room.

Then, suddenly, she got up from her seat, and walked over to the shelf we had in the room.

I watched her. Curious, yet confused, as to what she was doing.

The girl grabbed the note pad and pen we kept on the shelf, walked back over to her seat, sat down, uncapped the pen, and began to write.

I sat up more in my chair, as I became more curious.

Maybe she is mute, I thought.

Once the girl finished writing, she put down the pen, and slid the note pad over to me.

I glanced at the note pad for a moment, then I looked back at her.

Unlike before, I could now tell she was tired.

I looked back down at the note pad, picked it up, and read what she wrote out loud:

"Marty and Emmy have twelve sheep. But they weren't sure which one to keep. They asked their mom and she said 'No way. You're not going to keep any sheep today.' So they ended up buying a turtle, and named him: 'Billy.'"

Once I finished reading what she wrote, I felt even more confused, along with irritation and anger, as I looked back at the girl's once again unreadable face.

"What's that suppose to mean?" I heard Sam ask her.

She didn't answer him. Instead, she just continued to stare at me, as she seemed to become more relaxed in her chair.

"I asked you a question." I heard Sam say.

"Don't bother, Sam." I said, as the girl and I began to have a staring contest. "She's not going to answer you."

Then, I got up from the chair, with the note pad in hand, walked over to the door, opened it, and left. Sam following me.

"Do you have any idea what it means?" I asked Sam, as soon as he closed the door.

"It sounds like a poem." Sam said, as we made our way to Kensi, who was watching the whole thing on the T.V. screen in the other room.

"Yeah. But not a well-known poem." I said. "Kensi, do you have anything to add?"

I handed her the note pad, and she took it. Looking over the girl's poem.

"It definitely sounds like a poem." Kensi said. Then, she was silent for a moment before adding: "Maybe she's trying to tell us something."

"Then why won't she just talk to us?" I asked.

"Maybe she's afraid to." Sam said.

"That's possible." I said. "You do tend to make people feel uncomfortable."

Sam just stared at me.

"I don't think its Sam." Kensi said, gaining mine and Sam's attention.

"Well there's got to be some way we can get her to talk." I said. "She's our only lead so far, and currently our only suspect who knows our number one suspect."

"What do you think we should do then?" Sam asked.

I looked at the girl in the interrogation room on the T.V. Screen.

She was still just sitting in her chair where Sam and I left her.

"Leave her in there over night." I said. "We will talk to Hetty tomorrow about her, and ask her what she thinks. For now, let's all go home, and get some sleep."

Then, I took the note pad from Kensi, and left the boatshed. Sam and Kensi followed me.

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(Meanwhile, In the Boatshed Interrogation room)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

As I sat in what I guessed was a interrogation room in a boatshed, I was still trying to figure out who that man was who looked so familiar to me, and wondering if he truly was a Federal Agent.

I then began to wonder how I was suppose to get out of this. Especially since, I was pretty sure the only way I could get out of here, was by the door I came in.

But that was if I didn't break anything.

If I did break something, then I would have more than one way out.

But when I was ushered into the room, I noticed a camera they had up, and knew that if I tried anything at all, they would see it, and I would probably be put back in here, or a different place where it had no escape routes.

That is, if they were watching me.

I didn't know how much time went by, but eventually, I heard the door to the room open.

I looked over at the door and saw the man who looked familiar and the other man who showed up with the girl I handcuffed earlier, enter the room.

I watched the man I didn't know close the door. I then shifted my eyes to the all too familiar blue ones of the other man.

The man pulled out the chair across from me, and sat down.

Out of the corner of my eye, I his friend stand behind him, with his arms across his chest.

"Rebecca Lorene." The man who looked familiar said, as he looked straight into my eyes. "That's the name you go by, right?"

I didn't answer him, as I observed his nose, which was completely bruised.

"We know that's not your real name." He said. "So…..care to tell us who you really are?"

I remained silent, as I began to try to remember where I had seen him before, once again.

"I know you can understand me." He said. "So, don't act like you can't."

Once again, I stayed silent, as I came to the conclusion that this man definitely did not remember me.

Or, if he did, he didn't show it.

"Maybe she's mute, G." I heard his friend say.

G?

Where have I heard that before?

And that's when, I remembered.

_I was at Gibbs house._

_I had taken a week off from work at LAPD to go visit him, Ziva, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, and Tony._

_Gibbs and I were in his basement working on his boat, when we decided to take break._

_We were sipping beer and talking, when I noticed a picture on the counter of him and another person._

_"He's a friend of mine." I heard Gibbs say, obviously noticing what I was looking at._

_"Who is he?" I asked, looking back at him._

_"He's currently a DEA agent." Gibbs said._

_"What's his name?" I asked._

_"G. Callen." Gibbs said._

_"G?" I asked, thinking he was making it up._

_Gibbs nodded._

_"Why is his first name just a letter?" I asked._

_"Why don't you ask him?" Gibbs suggested. "He's going to be here next week."_

_"I have to go back to LA on Sunday." I reminded him._

_"Maybe next time then." Gibbs said._

Oh my god, I thought, he knows Gibbs.

He, the man who looked so familiar to me, was G. Callen.

And he knew Gibbs.

What were the odds that he was the same Callen, who currently worked for Hetty?

If this was the same Callen who worked for Hetty, that would mean he was telling the truth about him being a Federal Agent.

That would also mean that the man who had came in with Callen, was who Hetty called Mr. Hanna.

And that would also mean the girl who handcuffed me, was Miss Blye. Or Kensi, as Marty always calls her when he talks to me about her.

All in all, if this Callen was who I thought he was, then I'm closer to Hetty and Marty than I originally thought.

"Or maybe she wants us to believe she can't speak." Callen said, in response to the man I pegged as Mr. Hanna, as he continued to stare at me. "So, which one is it?"

Keeping my face expressionless, I ignored him, and looked around the room for anything I could use to contact either Hetty or Marty.

"If you're looking for an escape route, you're out of luck." I heard Callen say, as I continued to look around the room. "So, you might as well cooperate, and answer our questions."

I continued to look around the room, ignoring him.

I then spotted a note pad and pen on a shelf.

An idea quickly came to me.

I got up, and walked over to the shelf. Feeling Callen's and Mr. Hanna's eyes on me as I did.

I picked up the note pad and pen, walked back over to my seat, and sat down.

I then uncapped my pen, and wrote:

'Marty and Emmy have twelve sheep.

But they weren't sure which one to keep.

They asked their mom and she said 'No way. You're not going to keep any sheep today.'

So they ended up buying a turtle,

And named him: 'Billy.'

Once I was done, I sat down the pen on the table, and slid the note pad over to Callen.

Callen glanced at the note pad for a moment, then he looked back up at me. Curiosity showing in his eyes.

Callen looked back down at the note pad, picked it up, and began to read what I wrote out loud.

As Callen read what I wrote, I remembered the memory I took that from.

If Hetty or Marty read that somewhat poem, they will know it was from me.

After Callen finished reading what I wrote, he looked up at me. Clearly irritated by me.

Part of me thought it was cute seeing him irritated.

"What's that suppose to mean?" I heard Mr. Hanna ask.

I didn't answer him. Instead, I continued to just stare at Callen. Relaxing as I did.

"I asked you a question." I heard Mr. Hanna say.

"Don't bother, Sam." Callen said, as he continued to look into my eyes. "She's not going to answer you."

Then, Callen got up, with the note pad in hand, walked over to the door, opened it, and left. Mr. Hanna, or as Callen called him, Sam, followed him. Closing the door on his way out.

And now I wait, I thought. Hoping I was right, about Callen.


	14. Chapter 14

(The Next Morning)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

Sam, Kensi, and I were in the bull pen.

We were watching Hetty talk to Deeks by her desk.

Deeks had come in before Sam and Kensi did. Heading straight to Hetty, who was sitting at her desk.

I only knew this because I had stayed on the couch here over night. Trying to make sense of what the girl had wrote on the note pad.

It has been fifteen minutes since Deeks began to talk to Hetty.

"Do you know what they're saying, Kens?" Sam asked.

Kensi was silent for a moment, then she said:

"No. Deeks is talk too fast….Hetty just told him to calm down and that every things going to be alright."

I studied Deeks, and realized he looked really worried about something.

I then looked at Hetty, who, remained unreadable.

Suddenly, Hetty walked away from Deeks, and walked over to us.

"Is there something I can help you three with?" Hetty asked.

"Hetty, what's wrong with Deeks?" Kensi asked.

"That is a personal matter between Mr. Deeks and I, Miss Blye." Hetty said. "Now, is there something you need?"

"Actually, yes." I said. "We arrested a suspect last night, but she's not talking." I then picked up the note pad off my desk, and handed it to Hetty. "She wrote this. But we don't know what it means."

"We were hoping maybe you could take a look at it." Sam said, as Hetty took the note pad with the girl's poem on it.

Hetty began to read what the girl wrote.

Once she was done, she asked:

"The suspect you arrested last night, wrote this?"

"Yes." I said.

"Where is she now?" Hetty asked, looking up at me.

"Boatshed." I said. "We left her there over night."

Hetty nodded.

Then, Hetty looked over at Deeks.

"Mr. Deeks," Hetty called over to him.

Deeks looked at Hetty.

"Why don't you take a long shower, while Miss Blye gets you some breakfast?" Hetty suggested to him.

"Hetty," Deeks began, clearly about to protest.

But Hetty ignored him, and said:

"There is something I need to do. I will be back as soon as I can."

Deeks just stared at Hetty.

"Trust me, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

Deeks hesitated.

Then, he sighed, and walked toward where the showers were.

"Miss Blye," Hetty said, looking at Kensi. "Go get some breakfast and coffee for Mr. Deeks. I trust you know what he likes to eat."

Kensi nodded.

Then, Kensi grabbed her car keys off her desk, and headed toward the exit.

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna," Hetty said looking at us. "Take me to the Boatshed."

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Once we got to the Boatshed, Sam, Hetty, and I got out of the car, and went inside.

When I walked into the room, I looked at the T.V. screen and saw that the girl had her head resting on her hand, with her elbow on the table. With her other hand, she was rolling the pen she wrote with yesterday on the table back and forth.

"Want us to go in with you, Hetty?" I heard Sam ask.

I looked at Hetty and saw she was almost to the door of the interrogation room.

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Hanna." Hetty said, not even looking back at us.

Then, she opened the door, and went inside the room. Closing the door behind her.

Curious, I looked back at the T.V. screen to see the girl had stopped rolling the pen, and was no longer resting her head on her hand.

The girl was looking at Hetty, as Hetty walked over to the other side of the table, across from her, and faced her.

It was silent for a moment or two, as Hetty and the girl continued to stare at each other.

Then, Hetty said:

"I should have known it was you. Especially when Mr. Callen told me that his nose was bruised, and not broken."

The girl smiled a little, which caused Hetty to laugh.

"Looks like Hetty knows her." Sam said.

"Yeah." I said, not believing what I was seeing. "Looks like she does."

Once Hetty had stopped laughing, she sighed and said:

"Oh, bugger."

There was a couple seconds of silence, then, Hetty spoke again:

"I'm sorry you had to stay in here all night."

"It's not your fault." The girl spoke. Her voice sounding hoarse.

"Well, I guess we can rule out the mute theory." I said to Sam, as it was silent once again in the interrogation room.

"Shall we continue this at my office?" Hetty suggested to the girl. "We can talk more privately there….And it's not just me who's concerned about your well being."

The girl nodded.

Then, Hetty walked over to the door, as the girl stood up.

Hetty opened the door.

"After you." Hetty said.

The girl then walked by Hetty and left the room.

I instantly looked over at the interrogation room door to see the girl looking at me.

I could tell she was surprised to see me.

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, shall we get back to OPS?" I heard Hetty suggest.

"Of course, Hetty." I heard Sam say.

"No." I said, as Sam walked by me.

"And why not, Mr. Callen?" I heard Hetty asked me.

I looked away from the girl, and looked at my boss.

"I think bringing her to OPS is a bad idea." I said.

"That is not your call, Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

"She's a suspect." I said.

"On the contrary, Mr. Callen." Hetty said. "She is far from being a suspect."

I looked away from Hetty, and looked back at the girl.

I didn't trust her.

Despite Hetty knowing her, and obviously trusting her, herself.

I just didn't trust her.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Mr. Callen," I heard Hetty begin.

"I just want a name." I said, looking straight into her eyes, that looked quite inviting.

A moment or two passed, then the girl said:

"Emily."

"First or last?" I asked.

"What do you think?" The girl, who's name was apparently Emily, asked back.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then I heard Hetty say:

"If you're done with her for now Mr. Callen, I'd like to go back to OPS. Mr. Hanna, if you would?"

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(Meanwhile, In the Boatshed Interrogation room)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sitting in the chair of the interrogation room.

My elbow was on the table, and my head was being held up by my hand, as I entertained myself with the pen I wrote with by rolling it back and forth on the table with my free hand.

Callen and Sam have left me in this room over night.

And since I was so anxious, and a bit paranoid, I didn't sleep at all. Despite me being tired.

I really hope Hetty or Marty read what I wrote.

Suddenly, I heard the door open.

I stopped rolling the pen, and looked toward the door to see who was coming in. Putting my arm down as I did.

The person who came in the room, was Hetty.

I felt relief go through me.

Thank goodness she found my note, I thought, as Hetty closed the door.

Hetty walked over to the table, stood directly across from me, and looked at me.

I could tell she was relieved to see me, too.

"I should have known it was you." Hetty said. "Especially when Mr. Callen told me that his nose was bruised, and not broken."

I smiled a little, making Hetty laugh, as I remembered the memory she was hinting at.

Long story short, Marty teased me about my crush at the time, and wouldn't stop. So, to shut him up, I punched him in the nose. Leaving his nose bruised, but not broken.

When Hetty found out what happened, she laughed and said jokingly: "Now I know what your signature move is."

Once Hetty stopped laughing, she sighed, and said:

"Oh, bugger."

Then, it was silent for a couple seconds, before Hetty spoke again:

"I'm sorry you had to stay in here all night."

"It's not your fault." I said, my voice sounding hoarse to my ears.

It was silent once again, for a couple seconds.

"Shall we continue this at my office?" Hetty suggested. "We can talk more privately there…And it's not just me who's concerned about your well being."

I nodded, knowing she was talking about Marty.

Hetty walked over to the door, as I stood up.

Hetty opened the door, and said:

"After you."

Without arguing like I normally would have, I walked out of the room, and into the hallway.

Once in the hallway, I looked to my left and saw Sam and Callen.

I was surprised to see they were there. Especially Callen.

Sam was already looking my way, while Callen was looking at the T.V. screen.

Callen then looked over at me. Making eye contact instantly.

I was trying to read what he was thinking.

Unfortunately, I couldn't.

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, shall we get back to OPS?" I heard Hetty ask.

"Of course, Hetty." I heard Sam say.

"No." Callen said, still looking at me.

"And why not, Mr. Callen?" I heard Hetty ask.

Callen looked away from me, and looked at Hetty.

"I think bringing her to OPS is a bad idea." Callen said.

"That is not your call, Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

"She's a suspect." Callen said.

"On the contrary, Mr. Callen." Hetty said. "She is far from being a suspect."

Callen looked away from Hetty, and looked back at me.

And when he did, I saw distrust in his eyes.

He didn't trust me.

For some reason, knowing that Callen didn't trust me, really irritated me. Despite me understanding why he wouldn't.

"What's your name?" Callen asked me.

"Mr. Callen," I heard Hetty begin.

"I just want a name." Callen said, looking straight into my eyes with his blue ones.

A moment or two passed as I debated whether or not to tell him my name.

"Emily." I said, deciding to just tell him.

"First or last?" Callen asked.

"What do you think?" I asked him, not backing down from his stare.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then I heard Hetty say:

"If you're done with her for now Mr. Callen, I'd like to go back to OPS. Mr. Hanna, if you would?"


	15. Chapter 15

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"Hetty, you know I'm not fond of tea." I reminded her, as she poured tea from her tea pot into two tea cups.

I was currently at NCIS: OSP Headquarters.

As soon as we arrived, I got some stares from some people here. I knew it was because I was a new face, but none the less, I felt uncomfortable.

Before Hetty led me to her office, she told Callen and Sam to do some paper work.

Callen was going to protest, but when Hetty gave him the "That's an order" look, he didn't look too happy, and stormed into the bull pen toward his desk.

Sam gave me an apologetic friendly smile, before he too went into the bull pen, and sat down at his desk.

I was now sitting in a chair across from Hetty, who was sitting behind her desk.

Once Hetty was done pouring the tea, she picked up a tea cup, and offered it to me.

"Humor me." She said.

I smiled a little, and took the tea cup from her.

Hetty took a sip of her own tea, then she said:

"I blame Jethro."

I looked at her confused.

"He's the one who got you to drink coffee." Hetty said. "Is he not?"

I laughed a little.

"Actually, no." I said. "Marty is. Gibbs just encouraged it."

It was silent for a moment, then Hetty said:

"That cheeky bastard."

I laughed.

"So," I began. "I assume you have some questions for me."

"I do." Hetty said.

"Ok." I said. "Ask away."

"How has your luck been with getting the microchip?" Hetty asked.

"Not so good." I said. "Raphael keeps the microchip on him at all times. Even when he sleeps….And he's definitely not a heavy sleeper."

"I see." Hetty said.

"However," I said. "I have been getting quite close to him. And I think if I do one thing, I will be able to snatch the microchip."

"And what's that, Miss Taylor?" She asked.

"A man named Jerry Burke was his computer hacker expert, for the past week." I said. "He had me go get him a couple days ago, and I walked in on your team there, without knowing it…So I reported back to him my findings, and he told me to go and find the people who were at the hotel room….And to not come back empty handed."

It was silent as Hetty processed what I said.

"And if you go back empty handed?" She asked.

"I'm not positive what will happen." I answered her true fully. "But if I have to guess…..It doesn't involve me living for very long."

Hetty nodded in understanding.

"I also think he killed Jerry Burke." I said. "And that he set it up for me to take the fall for it, because he seemed surprised to see me when I reported back to him."

Hetty nodded once again.

Then, Hetty looked pass me. Something obviously catching her attention.

Suddenly, a small smile came to her face.

I looked at her suspiciously.

"Hetty," I began. "What are you thinking?"

"Let's just say, you won't be going back to Raphael empty handed, Miss Taylor." Hetty said. Then, she looked at me. "I think it's about time you officially met the team."

Hetty stood up, and began to make her way over to the bull pen.

I sat down my untouched tea on her desk, stood up, and followed her.

As we got closer to the bull pen, I noticed that it wasn't just Callen and Sam in there anymore.

Once we got to the entrance of the bull pen, Hetty cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention.

"I would like you all to officially meet, DEA Special Agent Emily Taylor." Hetty said, gesturing toward me.

When Hetty said "DEA Special Agent", everyone in the bull pen looked at me in shock. I could tell none of them expected me to be a Special Agent. Especially Callen. He looked the most shocked.

"Miss Taylor," Hetty said. "You've already met Special Agent Sam Hanna." Hetty then gestured toward Sam. "By the T.V., is our Computer Analyst's Eric Beale, and Nell Jones. To my left, is Special Agent Kensi Blye." Then, Hetty gestured toward the girl who arrested me. "And, beside her, as you already know, is Special Agent G. Callen."

"Wait," Kensi said. "You're a Special Agent?!"

"Yes." I said.

"Why didn't you say so?" Sam asked.

"I was undercover." I said.

"We declared ourselves as federal agents." Callen said, anger clear in his voice. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I didn't know if you were lying or not." I said. "And I didn't want to blow my cover if you actually weren't who you said you were."

Callen just stared at me, and I stared back at him. Not backing down from his stare.

"Emily?" I heard a very familiar voice say behind me.

I turned around and saw Marty looking at me.

I smiled at him.

Marty smiled back.

Then, he closed the distance between us, and embraced me. I hugged him back.

"Gosh, I was so worried about you." Marty whispered in my ear.

"Ok! Wait a minute!" I heard Callen say.

Marty and I pulled away, and looked at him.

"You two know each other?" Callen asked.

"Yeah." Marty said. "She's my friend I told you guys about."

"You mean the one who you were friends with since high school?" Kensi asked.

"Yeah. Same one." Marty said.

"Really?" Nell asked. "I thought you made her up."

"Me too." Eric said. "And to be honest, she's hot."

Marty glared at him.

"I-I-I mean, she's…..She's lucky to have a friend like you." Eric stuttered out quickly.

Sam smiled and shook his head.

"So you know Hetty, _and_ Deeks." Callen said.

Not a question. A statement.

"Yes." I said.

"Hetty, how long have you known Deeks and…her?" Callen asked.

"I've known Hetty since I became friends with Emily." Marty said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sam asked.

"Because, Mr. Hanna, I didn't want it to cause problems." Hetty said.

I looked at Callen and saw he was just staring at me.

"How long have you known Hetty?" Callen asked me.

"Longer than you have." I said.

"How did you and Hetty meet?" Callen asked.

I looked down at the ground as I remembered how I met Hetty.

And Gibbs, for that matter.

Luckily, before I said anything, Hetty spoke:

"I want you all to get acquainted.

"Why?" Kensi asked.

"Because all of you, and Miss Taylor, are working the same case." Hetty said. "Mr. Callen, after you all catch each other up on what each of you know, come see me for your undercover clothes."

"Undercover clothes." I said, as I looked at Hetty. "Why would he need undercover clothes?"

Hetty just smiled at me.

"Like I said Miss Taylor, you're not going back empty handed." Hetty said.

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(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Hetty," I began.

"Yes, Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked, as she looked through a rack of shirts.

After the team and I told what we knew about the case to Emily, and Emily told us everything she knew, I did as Hetty had asked, and found her in wardrobe.

When Hetty introduced Emily as a Special Agent, I couldn't believe my ears.

And when we found out that not only is this Emily the same girl Deeks knew, but that Hetty had known Deeks longer than any of us knew, it made me wonder what else our boss knows, yet, _hasn't_ told us, in regards to Deeks and this new girl.

"Why is Special Agent Taylor here?" I asked. "Isn't she DEA?"

Hetty took a shirt off the rack, and held it up to me.

"The last time you called someone a 'Special Agent', was when you didn't think highly of them." Hetty said. "But to answer your question Mr. Callen, yes. She is a DEA Special Agent." Hetty removed the shirt from me, and hung it back up. "I had asked her to do this case as a favor, and she accepted."

"She's not staying, right?" I asked her, as she looked through the shirts once again. "She's just doing this case, and leaving…..right?"

Hetty stopped looking at the shirts, and looked at me.

"Would it be so tragic if she did happen to stay, Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.

"I don't think it would be a good idea." I said.

"And why is that?" Hetty asked.

"I don't trust her." I said honestly. "And, I don't like her."

"You've only just met her, Mr. Callen." Hetty said. "You didn't like Mr. Hanna at first either."

"But I trusted him enough to be my partner." I reminded her.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said. "You need to give people a chance to show you who they really are. Not just go by first impressions."

"Sometimes first impressions are correct." I said.

It was silent for a moment as Hetty studied me. Then she said:

"Whatever you are thinking about Miss Taylor, is wrong Mr. Callen." Hetty said. "I can assure you that."

Hetty then turned her attention back to the shirt rack.

I knew what Hetty was saying, but it didn't matter.

Hetty could tell me what she just said over and over again, and I still won't trust, or like, Emily.

And it was going to take a lot to change my mind, if at all.

She wasn't like other girls.

However, she did remind me of one girl I knew.

And I told myself if I ever came across that type of girl again, I would distant myself from her as much as possible.

I didn't have certain rules for nothing.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said, taking me out of my thoughts. "Try these on."

I looked at the clothes she was holding out to me.

Then, I took the clothes, and walked toward one of the curtain stalls.


	16. Chapter 16

(In Callen's Car)

(At Raphael Palmer's Mansion)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Can you hear me, Eric?" I asked, as I stopped the car a couple yards away from Raphael Palmer's mansion.

Unfortunately, I had to go undercover with Emily, who was currently sitting in the passenger seat.

"Loud and clear." I heard Eric say in my ear piece.

"Sam?" I asked.

"We're in position, G." I heard Sam say.

"Emily, can you hear us too?" I heard Deeks ask.

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Marty, I can hear you." Emily said.

"As soon as you guys get inside, the camera button on Callen's shirt will be turned on." I heard Nell say.

"Sounds good, Nell." I said.

I looked at Emily.

She was staring straight ahead.

"You ready?" I asked her.

It was silent for a moment, then, she said:

"Whenever you are."

I continued to look at her for a couple more seconds. Trying to read her to see what she was thinking.

I got nothing.

Annoyed that I couldn't read her, I looked straight ahead, and began to drive.

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(Emily's P.O.V.)

Callen pulled into Raphael's driveway, and parked the car.

I took a deep breath, and let it out as I got into character.

Then, I opened the car door, and got out of the car. Closing the door shortly after.

Callen got out of the car also, and followed me to the front door.

"We're at the door." Callen said, as I hit the doorbell.

"I got you." I heard Kensi say in my ear piece.

"Remember, just say the word, and we're there." I heard Sam say.

"What's the word?" I asked.

Just then, the door opened, revealing one of Raphael's butler's.

"You look like a cute couple." I heard Sam say.

"Raphael has been waiting for you." The butler, who I recognized at Gary, said. "You know he hates waiting."

"Where is he?" I asked.

Gary looked at Callen suspiciously.

"Hey!" I snapped at him.

Gary looked at me.

"I asked you, a question." I said. "Don't make me repeat it."

Gary stared at me.

"Ooo! Sassy!" I heard Eric say.

"Eric, don't make the very first thing I do when I get back to OPS, be me punching you in the face." I heard Marty say.

"I-I meant it as a compliment." I heard Eric say quickly.

After Gary stared at me for a couple more seconds, he stepped aside and said:

"He's by the pool."

I stared at Gary, and he looked down as I walked inside. Callen followed me.

"And we have video." I heard Nell say, as we walked closer to the pool.

Once Callen and I entered the back yard, I saw Raphael with his back to us, looking at the pool.

I looked around, and noticed that Raphael was by himself.

"Ah, Rebecca!" I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice and saw Raphael had turned around, and was now looking at us.

"I trust you bring me good news." Raphael said. Then, he looked at Callen suspiciously. "Who's your friend?"

"This is the man I saw at Jerry's hotel room." I said.

"What's your name?" Raphael asked.

"Tyler Gordan." Callen said.

"Why were you at Jerry's hotel room?" Raphael asked, as he continued to look at Callen suspiciously.

"Jerry said he was going to help me with a computer problem." Callen said. "Told me to meet him at his hotel room, but he never showed…Do you happen to know why?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Raphael said. "I killed him."

Then, Raphael drew a gun out of nowhere, and aimed it at Callen.

"Uh, oh." I heard Eric say. "Sam, we've got a problem."

"I'm not moving until they say." I heard Sam say.

"Who are you?" Raphael asked.

"I told you." Callen said, calmly. "I'm Tyler Gordan."

"No you're not." Raphael said. "Tyler Gordan, is currently in India. Now, tell me who you are, or," Then, Raphael pointed the gun at me. "She dies."

As soon as Raphael pointed the gun at me, and said: "She dies", I had a flash back of a certain memory, that I had been repressing in the back of my mind.

_"Tell me everything you know, about him." The man said, his gun pointed right at me. Then, his gun shifted to the girl beside me. "Or, she dies."_

_"I told you, I don't know who he is." I said, hoping he would believe me. _

_"You're lying!" The man shouted at me. "You know, _exactly_, who he is! I've seen you two together!"_

_"I swear, I don't know who he is." I said._

_"Alright." The man said. "You leave me with no choice."_

_Then, the man fired the gun._

"Emily….Emily….Emily!" I heard a voice say.

I snapped out of the memory, as my eyes focused on the person who was standing right in front of me.

It was Marty.

"Emily, are you ok?" Marty asked, concern clear in his voice.

I looked around me, and saw Raphael face down on the ground getting handcuffed by Sam. Kensi was searching for something on Raphael. I then looked at Callen.

He was watching me.

I looked back at Marty.

"I'm fine." I said, hoping he would believe me.

The look on his face told me he didn't.

"Really." I said, trying to convince him. "I'm fine."

"I got it." I heard Kensi say.

I looked at Kensi as Marty kept studying me.

"We got the microchip." Kensi said, holding the microchip up, as she stood up.

"Time for you to come with us." Sam said, as he got Raphael to stand up on his feet.

Then, Sam led Raphael away.

Callen gave me a distrustful, angry look, and followed Sam.

"Em, you completely zoned out." Marty said, gaining my attention. "You never did that during something like this before."

"I'm fine, Marty." I said, knowing he was right.

"Are you sure?" Marty asked.

"Yes." I said, looking him straight in the eyes. "I'm sure…..Let's get back to Hetty."

I then turned around, and walked away.

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(In Callen's Car)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Ok." I heard Sam say. "Let it out."

We were in the car going back to OPS after we just handed over Raphael Palmer.

Sam was driving.

"I can't believe she did that." I said, angrily. "How the hell did she become a Special Agent?! Let alone, a _Detective_ at LAPD?!"

"I'm sure she didn't zone out on purpose." I heard Sam say.

I looked at him.

"You're _defending_ her?" I asked in disbelief.

"No." Sam said. "I'm just saying, there may have been a reason why she zoned out. She doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would do something on purpose."

"She shouldn't have a badge." I said. "She shouldn't be in ANY type of police work, at all."

Sam sighed.

"What?" I asked.

"I understand that you don't like, or trust Emily, but I think you should at least give her a chance." Sam said.

"She had her chance." I said, as I looked back out the window. "And she blew it. Big time."

After that, the rest of the ride was in silence.

(Later, at NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sitting on the couch in the miniature living room that was next to the bull pen, when I heard a voice say:

"Hey!"

I looked toward the voice, and saw Marty in the doorway with his bag over his shoulder, clearly about to leave for the night.

"Hey." I said.

"I'm going to grab a drink with Kensi and Sam." Marty said. "Want to come?"

"No, I'm ok." I said. "You have fun."

Marty smiled a little at me.

"Ok." He said. "See you tomorrow, Cupcake."

"See you tomorrow." I said, smiling a little back at him.

Then, Marty left.

I sighed, as I went over today once again in my head.

I still couldn't believe what had happened at Raphael's mansion.

It never happened to me before.

And the memory of that day that flashed into my head…Something I haven't thought about for a while now….Having it suddenly pop up, scared me.

Suddenly, I heard a thud.

I looked in the direction of the bull pen, and saw Callen standing at his desk, moving thinks around on it.

I got up, and walked to the entrance of the bull pen, watching him.

A couple seconds went by, then, Callen asked angrily:

"What?!"

I flinched a little, but quickly recovered before anymore unwanted memories came to my conscious.

"Callen," I began. "I'm sorry about today."

Callen stopped moving things on his desk.

"You're sorry?" Callen asked. Then, he looked at me. "If it weren't for the safe word, and Sam, Kensi, and Deeks coming to our aid when they did, we would probably both be dead right now. _Sorry_, doesn't cut it."

"Callen," I began.

"In case you haven't noticed, I, don't trust you." Callen said, as he walked toward me. "Let alone like you. I know that Hetty likes you, and that Deeks is more than _fond_ of you, and eventually, you may even get Sam, Kensi, Eric, and Nell to like you, but it doesn't matter to me if they do or not, because I don't. And there's nothing you can do, to change my mind."

I stared at Callen as he stared back at me.

"Understand?" Callen asked.

"Understood." I said.

"Good." He said.

Callen then walked away from me, grabbed a bag by his desk, and walked out of the bull pen.

I watched him leave until he was out of sight.

I sighed a heavy sigh.

Great, I thought, He hates me.

Suddenly, I felt sad.

I shook my head.

"Miss Taylor," I heard a familiar voice say.

I looked toward the voice, and saw Hetty standing where Callen just was.

"I think we should talk." Hetty said.

"Ok." I said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What happened at Raphael Palmer's mansion." Hetty said.

"Do we have to?" I asked.

"Yes, Miss Taylor, we do." She said.

I sighed again.

"Mr. Deeks told me,you were zoned out and unresponsive for about a minute or two." Hetty said, as she walked closer to me.

"I'm sorry, Hetty." I said. "It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't." Hetty said, as she studied me. "You are one of the most focused agents I know. Especially on a mission. It's rare, if ever, you are not focused at the task at hand. Which makes one wonder…..What happened?"

I looked down at the ground.

"Miss Taylor…..Emily…..You know you can tell me anything." I heard Hetty say.

I hesitated.

Then, I said quietly:

"I had a flashback….About my last day as an LAPD Detective." I then looked up at Hetty. "It came out of nowhere…..And it felt as if I was reliving that little memory, all over again."

It was silent for a moment, then, Hetty asked:

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head.

"Ok." Hetty said nodding. "If you change your mind, don't be afraid to come to me, or Mr. Deeks."

I nodded.

"Now, follow me." Hetty said.

Then, Hetty turned around, and began to walk away.

I walked after.

Hetty led me to her desk.

Once at her desk, Hetty grabbed a folder, and handed it to me.

I took it and looked at her confused.

"Open it." Hetty said.

I looked at the folder in my hands, and opened it.

Inside, was a form to resign as a DEA Special Agent.

Confused, I looked at Hetty and saw she was holding a pen out to me, with a soft smile on her face.

That's when I realized what she wanted me to do.

"Hetty," I began.

"All you have to do, is sign your name." Hetty said.

"I don't think-" I began.

"Mr. Callen will get over it." Hetty said, cutting me off.

"But I-" I began.

"You can stay with me, or Mr. Deeks, until you find your own place." Hetty said, cutting me off again. "Now, stop stalling, and sign the damn papers already."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I hope you are all enjoying the story :)

Please comment/review!

If you want to that is. You don't have to...

Anyway, here is the next chapter

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(Two Weeks Later,)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I fired my gun at the paper target in front of me until I was out of bullets.

It has been two weeks since I resigned from the DEA and joined NCIS.

Marty was ecstatic when I told him I would be staying in Los Angeles and be working with him again.

When Callen found out however, he wasn't as happy. Not even close.

In fact, in the last two weeks, whenever there was a case, Callen left me out of it, and had me stay at OPS.

Which was the reason why I was firing my gun for about the fifth time this morning.

In a way though, I didn't mind staying behind at OPS. That just meant I could hang out with Eric and Nell more.

I sat my gun down, and pushed the switch to have the target paper be brought to me.

Once it reached me, I removed my headphones, and took my protective glasses off.

"Wow." I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned around and saw Sam and Kensi.

"Remind me to never piss you off." Sam said.

I laughed a little.

"Like wise." I said.

Sam smiled.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" I asked, as I turned back around, and unhooked the paper target.

"We heard gun fire, and wondered who was down here." I heard Kensi say.

"Well it's just me." I said, as I hooked another paper target up. "No one special."

I then grabbed my gun, and headed toward the weapon room.

"You know," I heard Kensi begin behind me. "Me and Sam were wondering something."

"Ask away." I said, as I reached the gun cleaning supplies.

"How do you know Hetty and Deeks?" I heard Kensi ask, as I began to take my gun apart.

"Hetty and Marty are friends." I said.

And family, I thought.

"We know that." I heard Sam say. "But, how did you meet them?"

Once I was done taking my gun apart, I looked up at Sam and Kensi.

"I met Marty in high school." I said. "The beginning of high school that is…We were partners for a science project."

I then looked down at my gun, and began to clean it.

"And Hetty?" I heard Kensi ask.

I was silent as I continued to clean my gun, and thought back at how I met Hetty.

"I just met her." I said.

"You just met her?" I heard Kensi ask confused.

"Yeah." I said. "She just showed up."

"Care to elaborate?" I heard Sam ask.

I stopped cleaning my gun, and looked at Sam.

"Honestly…..no." I said. "I don't want to remember it. So, Hetty just showing up, is all you and everyone else is going to get from me."

Sam nodded.

"I respect that." Sam said.

"So, is that all you wanted to ask?" I asked.

"Yeah." Sam said.

"We also wanted to tell you to hang in there." Kensi said. "We know how Callen's treating you, and we just wanted to tell you that he will stop soon."

"No, he won't." I said. "But, thanks."

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I walked into the bull pen and saw Deeks sitting at his desk.

"Hey, Deeks." I said.

"Hey, Callen." Deeks said.

I walked over to my desk and sat down my bag.

I looked around the bull pen and noticed Sam and Kensi were missing.

"Where is everybody?" I asked.

"Don't know." Deeks said.

I looked at him, and noticed he was looking at something, and eating a doughnut.

"Hey," I said.

Deeks looked up at me.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, pointing at the doughnut in his hand.

"I brought some in." Deeks said. "They're in the kitchen. Help yourself."

"Don't mind if I do." I said, as I headed toward the kitchen.

I instantly spotted a pink box of doughnuts sitting on the counter.

I walked over to it, and opened the box. And as soon as I did, there was one doughnut that caught my eye.

It was a chocolate glazed doughnut.

And there was only one of them.

I took the doughnut out of the box, closed the box, and made my way back to the bull pen, just in time to see Sam and Kensi coming into the bull pen.

"Where have you two been?" I asked them.

"Don't worry about it." Sam said, as him and Kensi sat down at their desk.

I looked at them suspiciously for a couple seconds. Then, I shrugged, and made my way back to my own desk.

As soon as I sat down, I took a bite of my doughnut.

"Hey, Em!" I heard Deeks say happily.

I looked to my left and saw Emily making her way to her seat in between Deeks and Sam.

It was were Hetty assigned her. Which was fine by me, as long as she stayed there, and didn't come near me.

"Hey." Emily said, smiling at him.

"There's some doughnuts if you want one." Deeks said to Sam and Kensi. Then he said to Emily: "I even got one just for you."

Emily smiled more at him.

And when she did, I felt this feeling I couldn't describe.

All I knew was that it didn't make me feel good.

I've been having that feeling for the past two weeks.

And it always happened whenever Emily was around Deeks.

Or if she smiled at Deeks.

Or if she was talking to Deeks.

Pretty much, whatever this feeling was, it only came when I saw Emily with Deeks.

And I was frustrated that I didn't know what this feeling was.

Deeks smiled back at Emily.

Then, Emily walked into the kitchen, over to the pink box of doughnuts.

I watched her, as I took another bite of my doughnut.

Emily opened the box. Then, she closed it.

Emily then turned around with a confused look on her face.

Then, her eyes landed on something, and she stopped walking.

Emily's eyes then met mine.

I held her stare, as I wondered why she was currently looking at me as if I had hurt her in some way.

"Mr. Callen," I heard a voice say behind me.

I looked away from Emily, and turned my chair around until I became face to face with Hetty.

"Yes, Hetty?" I asked.

Hetty looked at the doughnut in my hand, then, she looked at something behind me.

"Miss Taylor, my office." Hetty said. Then, she looked at me. "You too, Mr. Callen." Then, Hetty looked at Kensi. "Miss Blye, Mr. Hanna, and Mr. Deeks, go to OPS, and wait for them to join you."

Kensi nodded.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said, as she looked back at me. "Leave the doughnut here."

Then, Hetty turned around and walked away.

I sat the doughnut down on my desk, got up, and headed to Hetty's office, as Kensi, Deeks, and Sam headed up the stairs to OPS.

Once I was in Hetty's office, I stood as far away from Emily as possible.

"Mr. Callen, Miss Taylor, we have a problem." Hetty said.

"What kind of problem?" Emily and I asked at the same time.

I looked at her just in time to see her look at me.

"A trust problem." Hetty said, as we both looked back at Hetty.

"With who?" I asked.

"You two!" Hetty said, as if it was obvious.

I looked at her confused.

"I don't follow." Emily said, clearly just as confused as I was.

"You two don't TRUST each other." Hetty said.

"That's where you're wrong." Emiy said. "I trust him. He doesn't trust me."

"Give me one good reason why I should." I said to her.

"Because you're a team!" Hetty said. "You have to have trust in your team. Without that, you've got nothing but chaos and room for errors."

Hetty then looked directly at me.

"And leaving Miss Taylor out of cases, especially out of the cases that involve field work, is not a way to solve the problem, Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

Then, she looked directly at Emily.

"Neither is ignoring the problem, Miss Taylor." Hetty said.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then, Hetty said:

"Which is why I am assigning you two as partners for this case."

My eyes went wide.

"Hetty," I began.

"It's already done, Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

"Sam is my partner, Hetty." I said. "Not her."

"For this case, Miss Taylor IS your partner, Mr. Callen." Hetty said. "Learn to work together, learn to trust each other, and I won't make it permanent."

I just stared at Hetty in disbelief.

I couldn't believe she was really making me do this.

"Mr. Beale and Miss Jones are waiting for you two in OPS." Hetty said. "Go."

I turned around and stormed away. Knowing I wouldn't be able to convince Hetty that having Emily as my partner, would be a big mistake.


	18. Chapter 18

(In Callen's Car)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

Callen and I were sitting in his car staking out Ron Hover's, a suspects, house.

When Hetty had informed us we were going to be partners for this case, I was positive she wanted to make my relationship with Callen…..whatever that may be…a lot more difficult and more nonexistent than it already was.

Before I followed the angry Callen up to OPS, I had asked Hetty why she was doing this.

"Because, Miss Taylor, it reminds me of when you met Mr. Deeks. One of you was trying to form a bond, while the other wanted nothing to do with a relationship, because they were scared. In this case, though, the roles are reverse. And it's the only way I know that will get Mr. Callen to trust you….Even if it is a tiny bit." Was Hetty's reply.

Once I was at OPS, Eric and Nell briefed us on the case.

And now, I was in a car, staking out a house of a possible murder suspect, waiting for the suspect to get home, with Callen.

Through out the whole ride, it was silent.

A deafening silence, at that, between us.

I have been trying to think of things to say to him, but each thing I thought of, sounded stupid in my head.

The last time that happened, was when I was on a date with a guy I really liked.

Another minute passed in silence.

"So," I began.

"Don't." I heard Callen say.

I looked at him and saw he was still looking at the house.

"Don't what?" I asked.

"Don't talk to me." Callen said, clearly still upset I was here instead of Sam.

"Don't blame me for Hetty assigning us as partners." I said. "You were the one that caused it."

Callen looked at me.

"Oh really? How?" He asked.

"Because you left me out of cases." I said.

"For good reason." Callen said.

"All because you don't trust or like me, doesn't mean everyone else does." I said.

"Oh, sorry. My mistake, prom queen." Callen said sarcastically.

"If you keep this up, you're not going to get Sam back." I said. "And I'm sure that's definitely not what you want. So, try to trust me at least a little bit, so that you can get your partner back. Or, at least, pretend enough so that it's pretty damn convincing that you do, because you and I both know that you're not going to get him back, until Hetty knows that 'this'," I then moved my finger back and forth between us. "Works."

Callen just stared at me, as I stared back at him.

Then, I looked away from him, and back at the suspects house across the street.

"And I'm sorry about hitting you in the nose." I said. "Twice."

Silence one again filled the car, for about five minutes, then I heard Callen ask:

"How do you know Hetty?"

"I just met her." I said, still looking at the house. "She just came into my life out of nowhere."

"I'm sure there is more to it, than you just 'happening' to meet her." I heard Callen say.

"Doesn't mean I want to talk about it." I said.

"Well, I do." I heard Callen say.

"Too bad." I said.

"I thought you trusted me?" I Callen ask.

"I don't tell things about me personally to people who don't trust me." I said. "Or strangers, for that matter."

"I'm a stranger?" I heard Callen ask, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Technically, yes." I said. "I know nothing about you." I then looked at him. "Unless, of course, you want to share something about yourself?"

Callen just stared at me.

"I didn't think so." I said, as I looked back at the house.

Just then, Callen's phone began to ring.

Callen answered the phone, putting it on speaker as he did.

"Yeah, Kensi?" Callen asked.

"Deeks and I have Ron Hover." Kensi said. "We're going to take him to the boatshed. Do you want to interrogate him?"

"You guys can." Callen said. "You found him before he came home after all. Find out what he knows and call back. Emily and I are going to search his house."

"Oh, it's Emily now, huh?" Kensi asked. "What happened to-"

"Bye, Kensi." Callen said quickly.

Then, he hung up his phone.

"What was she going to say?" I asked him.

"About what?" He asked.

"Well, Kensi seemed surprised you were calling me by my name." I said.

"Yeah, well, Kensi's a kidder." Callen said.

Then, he opened up the car door and got out of the car.

I opened the car door and got out also.

"What was she going to say?" I asked him, as we both shut the car doors.

"Don't know." Callen said, as we walked toward the house. "Like I said, Kensi's a kidder."

"What have you been calling me?" I asked, a bit hurt knowing that he's been calling me something other than my name.

Callen stopped walking and faced me.

"Let's just search the house, and leave." Callen said, annoyed. "In silence."

Then, he turned back around, and began to walk toward the house again.

I was about to follow him, when I noticed smoke coming out of the back of the house.

"Callen," I said.

Callen ignored me, and continued to walk.

"Callen," I said louder.

"What happened to silence?" Callen asked.

That stubborn….

I ran to Callen, and tackled him to the ground,

"What the-" Callen began.

And at that moment, there was an explosion.

Callen and I instantly covered our heads.

A couple seconds went by, then I looked up in the direction of the explosion, and saw Ron Hover's house was now in flames, all over the place.

I looked at Callen, and Callen looked at me.

"You're welcome." I said.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Hey! You guys ok?" I heard a voice say behind me.

I looked away from the building that firefighters were currently fighting the flames with their water hoses, and saw Sam, Kensi, and Deeks walking over to me.

"We're fine." I said.

"Where's Emily?" Deeks asked.

"Talking to the neighbor." I said, looking over to where Emily was. "She's asking him if he saw anything suspicious."

"Do they know what caused the explosion?" I heard Sam ask, as I continued to watch Emily.

"They're not sure." I said. "But one of them did tell me that it smelt like gas as soon as they got close enough."

"A gas fire." I heard Sam say, as I continued to watch Emily.

If it wasn't for her tackling me to the ground when she did, I would have continued to walk to the house.

And if that happened, who knows what would have happened to me.

"G." I heard Sam say.

I looked at him.

"Was there anyone inside?" Sam asked, looking a bit concerned.

"If there was, we don't know yet." I said. I then looked at Kensi and Deeks. "Did you talk to Hover yet?"

"Not yet." Deeks said. "Eric told us what happened, so we dropped off Hover at the boatshed and came straight here."

I nodded.

"The neighbor, Mr. Morell, said he saw a man about two hours before the explosion walking around the house." I heard a voice say.

I looked beside me, and saw Emily standing next to me.

"He said he noticed it because the man kept looking around him as if he felt like he was being watched."

"Did he say if he went inside?" Kensi asked.

"Mr. Morell said he saw him circle the house twice, then go to the back of the house." Emily said. "After that, he hasn't seen him."

"Kensi, Deeks, go back to the boatshed and find out what you can from Hover." I said. "Sam, stay here, and gather whatever information you can. Emily and I are going to investigate the back of the house. See if we can find anything."

Everyone nodded.

I then began to walk over to Mr. Morell, with Emily by my side, when I heard Sam say:

"Hey Em, can I talk to Callen for a second?"

"Yeah, of course." Emily said, as I stopped walking, and looked at Sam.

Emily then continued to walk back to Mr. Morell. Leaving me with Sam.

When Sam just stared at me, and didn't say anything for a couple seconds, I asked:

"What?"

"I'm thinking." Sam said.

"About what?" I asked.

"About how to bring this up without you shutting me out." Sam said.

I just looked at him confused.

"What did Emily do to earn your trust?" Sam asked.

"She hasn't earned my trust." I said.

"Alright. Respect then." Sam said. "What did she do?"

I looked away from Sam, and looked at Emily, who was now with Mr. Morell, and currently laughing at something he said.

Seeing her smile did something to me.

Not sure what, but it wasn't a bad feeling.

In fact, it was a feeling I liked.

I pushed the feeling a side for now, and answered Sam's question:

"She tried to warn me about the smoke she saw, but I didn't listen to her….If she didn't tackle me to the ground…I don't know what would've happened."

It was silent for a moment, then, I heard Sam say:

"You trust her."

"I didn't say that." I said, looking at him.

"You don't have to." Sam said, a smile coming to his face.

I just stared at Sam.

Then, I turned around, and began to walk to Emily.

"I don't!" I said, loud enough for Sam to hear.

"If you say so." I heard Sam call after me.


	19. Chapter 19

(The Next Morning)

(At Hetty's House)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

_I opened my eyes and looked around at my surroundings._

_I was in a basement._

_An old basement._

_I could hear drops of water falling from the pipes onto the floor every couple of seconds._

_It was really damp._

_I was cold and shaking._

_As I kept looking around the basement, I realized that I was the only one here._

_Nothing else was here. Not even an unpacked box._

_The only light in the room came from the sunlight pouring in the only two windows the basement had._

_I moved my hands but was instantly stopped._

_I moved my head quick, and that's when I felt pain on my head._

_I then remembered what happened last night, and wondered why I was here._

_I turned my head more slowly, and tried to look behind me as best as I could._

_And that's when I saw that my hands were tied to a pipe behind me._

_As I tried to put the pieces together in my head, I heard a door open followed by a woman's voice:_

_"Please! Please! Let go of me! I swear I'll do whatever you want! Just please let go of me!"_

_I could tell that the woman was crying and clearly scared of whoever was with her._

_As the woman kept pleading, I heard the footsteps coming closer._

_Then, finally, I saw a man dragging a woman by her hair, walking toward me._

_"Good." The man said, as he looked at me. "You're up."_

_He then pushed the woman to the ground beside me._

_She instantly crawled as far away from him as possible._

_"Who…Who are you?" I asked, still trying to put two and two together._

_The man smiled._

_And when he did, I felt sick to my stomach._

_"Your worst nightmare, Detective Taylor." The man said._

_"Nightmare? That's a weird name, don't you think?" I asked. "Did your parents not like you or something?"_

_The man laughed._

_"That sounds like something your partner would say." The man said. "Detective Martin Deeks, correct?"_

_"Don't know who that is." I said, hoping he would believe me, as I stared at the man and tried to figure out how he knew me and Marty._

_"How cute." The man said. "You're trying to protect him."_

_Then, the man pulled a gun out from his back._

_"Now," The man said. "I want to play a game, Detective. And you're going to play, too."_

I woke up with a start, quickly sitting up in my bed as I did.

I was shaking, and my heart was beating fast. So fast, I thought it was going to burst out of my chest.

I drew my knees up to my chest, and hugged them, as I tried to calm myself down.

But instead, I began to cry.

It has been a while since I had a nightmare.

Especially a nightmare about when that horrible two weeks started.

As I cried, I really hoped I hadn't woke Hetty, or that Hetty couldn't hear me.

I was currently staying with her until I found an apartment.

Once I had calmed myself down a little, my phone began to ring, making me jump.

Relax, Em. I thought to myself.

I grabbed my phone from the night stand, and answered it.

"Taylor." I said.

"Emily? You ok?" I heard a worried Tony ask.

"Yeah, I'm-I'm fine, Tony." I said, quickly pulling myself together.

"You don't sound fine." Tony said.

"Really, I am." I said.

"Em…..You know you can talk to me, right?" Tony asked, his voice soft and quiet.

"I know." I said. "But really, I'm fine. What's up?"

"I just wanted to call and see how you're doing." Tony said.

"Well, I'm fine." I said.

"Get off the phone, DiNozzo." I heard Gibbs say.

"But, I'm talking to Emily." Tony said.

"You know, you talk about her a lot." I heard Ziva say.

"Are you sure you don't have a crush on her?" I heard McGee say.

"Em," I suddenly heard Gibbs say on the other side of the phone. Letting me know he took Tony's phone.

"Hey, Gibbs." I said, smiling a little at Ziva and McGee teasing Tony.

"How are you?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm fine. How are you?" I asked.

"Same." Gibbs said. "Tony has to go. We've got a case."

"No problem." I said. "He was the one who called me."

"I know." Gibbs said. "Stay safe."

"You too." I said.

"Always." Gibbs said.

Then, Gibbs hung up the phone.

I hung up my phone, and sighed as I looked at the time.

It was six o' clock.

Which meant Hetty was already at work, and she didn't hear me crying a couple minutes ago.

Feeling tired, but not wanting to even try to go back to sleep after that nightmare, I got out of bed, and went to get ready for work.

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(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I walked into the NCIS building, and walked straight to the bull pen.

Once I walked inside the bull pen, I walked by Sam's desk, and sat down my bag by my desk.

"Morning, Emily." Sam said beside me.

"Morning, Sam." I said.

"Rough night?" Sam asked.

Suddenly, the nightmare I had, became fresher in my mind.

"Sure." I said. "Let's go with that."

"What happened?" I heard Kensi ask, as I walked into the mini Kitchen.

"Nothing that will distract me." I said, as I grabbed a cup, and poured myself some coffee.

"Deeks did something, didn't he?" I heard Sam ask.

"Marty didn't do anything." I said, as I walked back to my desk.

When I did, I noticed Callen was at his desk on his laptop, ignoring us.

Or, at least, pretending to, as he typed away as something.

I looked at Sam and saw he too was looking at Callen.

Sam then looked at me. His eyes silently asking me a question.

"No." I said.

Sam nodded.

"Hello, my breakfast club mates!" Marty said cheerfully, as he walked into the bull pen with his bag and a box of doughnuts.

"Why are you so cheerful?" Kensi asked.

"It's a beautiful day, Kensi." Marty said, as he put his bag down, and put the box of doughnuts on his desk. "Breathe in the wonderful air filled with sea water, sand, and ice cream."

Marty then looked at me. His smile faltering a little.

Did that nightmare affect me more than I thought?

"Can I talk to you for a second, Cupcake?" Marty asked.

"Yeah." I said.

Marty then walked out of the bull pen.

I sat my cup on my desk, and followed him.

Marty walked over to the stair case, and stopped.

I stopped walking once I reached him.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" Marty asked.

I looked away from him.

"Is it really that obvious?" I asked.

"Only because I've witnessed you having one, along with the way you looked afterward." I heard Marty say. "…Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head as I looked back at him.

"Em," He began.

"I don't want to talk about this nightmare." I said, my tone more than serious.

Marty has always asked me to talk about my nightmares with him. He said it would help if I talked about them with someone.

But I never did.

I never wanted to relieve the nightmares I had.

Especially the nightmares I had about those two weeks.

I never told anyone what had happened during that time. Not even Hetty.

It was silent between us for a couple seconds, then, Marty said:

"You had a nightmare about him again…..Didn't you?"

"….Yeah." I said quietly.

"Emmy," Marty said, softly.

Then, he closed the gap between us, and hugged me. I hugged him back.

"He's not here anymore. I promise." Marty whispered in my ear. "He's spending the rest of his days in a Federal prison, in like, Colorado or wherever Hetty sent that bastard to. He's never leaving, and he will never find you. Not as long as Hetty and I have anything to say, or do, about it."

Despite me knowing what he said was already true, I felt myself relax from hearing him say it.

As a result, Marty hugged me tighter.

"Is everything alright?" I heard a voice ask.

Marty and I pulled away and saw Nell looking at us.

"Yeah." Marty and I said at the same time.

"Everything is breezy easy." Marty said, smiling at her.

"Ok….." Nell said slowly, but smiled a little back at him. "I just thought you should know that Callen, Sam, and Kensi are eating all of your doughnuts."

"What?!" Marty said, as we both looked toward the bull pen.

And sure enough, Callen, Sam, and Kensi had doughnuts on their desk.

"Hey!" Marty said, as he walked quicky to the bull pen.

Nell and I giggled at his reaction, and followed him.

Marty went straight to the open pink box on his desk and looked inside it.

"Really?" Marty asked, as he picked up the pink box, and turned it upside down to show there was no more doughnuts left. "Seriously?"

Marty then looked at Sam, Kensi, and Callen, who had a form of a smile on each of their faces.

"Well then." Marty said, as he dropped the empty doughnut box on his desk. "Which one of you has the chocolate glazed doughnut?"

"That would be Callen." Kensi said.

"Ah." Marty said.

Marty walked over the short distance to Callen's desk, and reached out for the chocolate glazed doughnut.

But before he could grab it, Callen picked it up.

"Callen," Marty began. "Give me the doughnut."

"Why?" Callen asked, clearly curious.

"Because I bought that doughnut specially for Emily." Marty said.

"Marty, it's ok." I said.

"No, it's not." Marty said. "It's the only doughnut you willingly eat."

"Really?" Kensi asked, as she looked at me. "Not even white powered?"

"No." I said.

"Jelly?" Sam asked.

"No." I said.

"Boston crème?" Nell asked.

I shook my head.

"Why?" Callen asked.

"Because I don't." I said, looking at him.

"Have you even tried the other doughnuts?" Callen asked.

"Yes." I said. "But the only one I like is the chocolate glazed."

Callen studied my face. Obviously trying to figure out if I was lying or not.

"Ok." Callen said. "Tell me why, and it's all yours."

"G." Sam said at the same time as Marty said: "Callen."

"I just want to know why." Callen said, not taking his eyes off me.

As I stared back at Callen, I remembered all the meaning behind the chocolate glazed doughnut

It reminded me of a memory I had with my mom.

It was also the main reason why I ended up trusting Hetty and Gibbs.

I had thought the chocolate glazed doughnut was a sign from my mom to trust them, and that everything was going to be alright.

And now, as Callen had took that doughnut not only yesterday, but today as well, I couldn't help but feel as if my mom once again was trying to tell me something.

No one knew how much that doughnut meant to me, or the meaning behind it.

And I wasn't ready to just share it.

"The reason why, is none of your business." I said to Callen.

I then turned around and saw Hetty standing behind me.

"It's NO ONES business." I said to Hetty, who has asked me several times herself, why the chocolate glazed doughnut meant so much to me.

I then walked by Hetty, and headed toward the building exit.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I watched Emily walk away, as my curiosity rose.

Why did this doughnut mean so much to her?

Better yet, why do I care?

"Mr. Deeks," Hetty began, taking me out of my thoughts.

"On it." Deeks said.

Then, Deeks left the bull pen, and walked in the direction Emily went in.

Once Deeks was gone, Hetty looked at me with a disapproving look on her face.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said. "Do that again, and Miss Taylor won't walk away."

I thought about what she said as she continued:

"Everyone go up to OPS. Mr. Beale and Miss Jones have found something. Mr. Deeks and Miss Taylor will join you shortly."

Kensi, Sam, and I stood up. Sam giving me his own disapproving look, as we filed out of the bull pen, and followed Nell up to OPS.


	20. Chapter 20

(Later)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Ok, seriously, what is your problem with me?!" I heard Emily say behind me, as we reached the entrance of the bull pen.

I turned around and faced her.

"You want to know what my problem is?" I asked her, getting angrier and angrier by the second.

Emily and I have just came back from closing the case. We left Sam, Kensi, and Deeks behind to tie up the loose ends and hand over the murderer to the authorities.

"My problem, is that you act as if you're better than everyone else." I said, my voice rising.

"I do NOT act like I'm better than anyone!" Emily said, her voice rising also.

"Yeah, right." I said. "I bet you had a wonderful life so far, right? Mommy's little angel, and Daddy's little princess. Prom queen and miss popular who got any guy you wanted. Well guess what? Not everybody had a blessed childhood, like you!"

Silence quickly filled the room, as Emily and I stared at each other.

Her face was unreadable.

But her eyes were speaking volumes.

After a couple seconds of both of us just staring at each other, Emily turned around, and stormed away from me, back to the entrance of the building.

I watched her walk away from me until she was out of sight.

I then turned around, and saw Hetty standing not too far away, staring at me.

"Mr. Callen, I think we need to talk." Hetty said.

"Not now, Hetty." I said.

"Yes, _right _now." Hetty said, her tone indicating that she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

Then, Hetty turned around, and began to walk to her office.

I sighed, and followed her.

"Take a seat, Mr. Callen." Hetty said, once I reached her desk.

I sat down as Hetty poured tea into two tea cups.

After she poured the tea, she handed a tea cup to me. I took it.

Hetty sat down across from me, and took a sip from her out tea.

A moment or two went by in silence, then, Hetty said:

"I'm going to tell you a story, Mr. Callen. And if you have any questions, save them until the story is over."

I nodded, and waited for her to begin.

"It was December of nineteen ninety nine. Exactly two weeks before Christmas." Hetty said. "I was in New York City with Jethro Gibbs. We were there to meet up with two other agents for a case we were doing at the time. Four days later, we caught the murderer. We celebrated at a local bar. And when Jethro and I left the bar to go to our hotel…I saw her."

I looked at Hetty confused. Wondering who she was talking about.

"She was in an ally way, sitting in a ball, shivering from the cold and the snow." Hetty said. "Her clothes were torn in some places, and she looked awfully thin. With one look at Jethro, I knew we were both thinking the same thing. So, we both walked over to the girl. Jethro took his coat off and put it around her. And when he did, she jumped, and tried to crawl away from us. Fear clearly written on her face. Jethro told her we weren't going to hurt her, and I told her we just wanted to help."

Hetty paused for a moment, then, continued:

"Somehow we convinced her to come with us. Once we got to the hotel, I left Jethro, and took the girl to my hotel room. Once in my hotel room, I gave her some of my clothes, and encouraged her to take a shower, and promised her, I would buy her some clothes of her own the next day. She hesitated, of course. But when I told her it was alright, and that I didn't mind, she took the clothes hesitantly, and went to take a shower."

Hetty paused once again, and took a sip of her tea, before continuing:

"The next couple of days, Jethro and I stayed in New York and tried to get the girl to talk to us. But she still seemed so scared of us. And whatever we gave her to eat, she wouldn't touch. Jethro and I didn't know what to do but be patient….Then, finally, she spoke to me…It was the fifth day she had been living with me in the hotel room. I just got there with a box of doughnuts for Jethro and myself. He was once again trying to get her to talk to him, but she was still not talking. She was just sitting on the couch in a ball. Still clearly scared…Eventually, Jethro ended up getting a phone call and having to leave to see someone close by. After he left, I brought the doughnuts into the small living room, sat them open on the coffee table, and sat down on the couch with the girl."

Hetty paused once again, and smiled a little.

"I saw her look at the doughnuts." Hetty said. "I told her if she wanted one, to take one…..And after a moment of hesitation, she uncurled herself from the ball she was in, and took a chocolate glazed doughnut out of the box."

Hetty then looked straight at me.

"And she said, in a quiet voice, 'Thank you'." Hetty said.

It was silent then, as what Hetty said sunk in.

"Mr. Callen, the girl I just told you about, was Miss Taylor." Hetty said.

"Why did you tell me this?" I asked, as I began to feel guilty about the way I've been treating her.

"So that you know she didn't have it as easy as you thought she did." She said.

"What happened to make her be on the streets?" I asked.

"I don't know." Hetty said. "She never talked about it…Not even now."

"What happened to her parents?" I asked.

"They're both deceased." Hetty said. "Her mother died a couple years before I found her. Her father, died a couple years ago, in prison….She won't talk about them either."

"What happened after she finally talked to you?" I asked.

"Jethro and I pulled some strings, and we got to be guardians of her." Hetty said. "During the summer, she would be with Jethro in D.C., and during the school year, she would be with me in Los Angeles."

"Which was where she met Deeks." I said.

Hetty nodded, a smile coming to her face.

"I will never forget that day." Hetty said. "Miss Taylor came home after the first day of high school, and told me, that there was this annoying boy who reminded her of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, who wouldn't leave her alone."

I chuckled.

"About a week later, she came home with Mr. Deeks because they had to work on a science project together." Hetty said. "If it wasn't for that project, or for my encouragement for her to step out of her comfort zone and make a friend, Mr. Deeks and Miss Taylor probably wouldn't be the best of friends that they are today…In a way, they both helped each other in ways no one else could…..And I don't' even want to know what would have happened, if they never met."

I nodded, understanding what she meant.

"And now you know how I met Miss Taylor." Hetty said.

"And now I know." I said, as I thought about what she said.

And as I did, I felt even guiltier about what I had said to her, and what I have been thinking about her.

I knew now that I had to make it right.

"Here is the address to where she is staying." Hetty said, holding a piece of paper out to me.

I took the paper from her.

"When you go over to see Miss Taylor, bring chicken parmesan, and an apology." Hetty said. "It goes a long way. Trust me."

"Who says-" I began.

"Because I know you, Mr. Callen." Hetty said, cutting me off. "And do tell her that I will be staying here late, and to not wait up, would you?"


	21. Chapter 21

(At Hetty's House)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sitting on the couch watching T.V. and sipping a beer. Hoping it would help me forget the bad day I had that started with a nightmare, and ended with Callen accusing me of being someone I'm not.

I had walked away from him because I didn't want to waste my time convincing someone I'm not who they think I am.

But I also knew that if I didn't try to make mine and Callen's relationship work somehow, that there would be more problems than there already was.

I sighed, and took another sip of my beer.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

I sat down my beer on the coaster on the coffee table, and picked my gun up as I stood up.

I then made my way to the foyer with my gun at the ready.

Not many people knew where Hetty lived. And I only knew of three.

One of them being myself. The other two being Gibbs and Marty.

But since Gibbs was in D.C. at the moment, and Marty was probably trying to convince Kensi to have a beer with him like he always did, I knew it wasn't either one of them.

And Hetty _never_ forgets her keys.

There was another knock, as I walked cautiously to the door.

I then put my gun behind my back, and opened the door enough to look out.

And when I did, I saw Callen standing there.

"Damn it, Callen!" I said, angry yet relieved it was just him, as I opened the door fully. "I could have killed you! What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

I saw a hint of a smirk come to his face, as I put my gun away.

"If you're looking for Hetty, she's not here." I said.

"I didn't come to see Hetty." Callen said. "I came here to see you."

I looked at him confused, as I looked to see what was in his hands.

It was two white take out containers.

"I wanted to apologize." I heard Callen say.

I looked up at him.

"I'm sorry about the way I've been treating you." He said. "And I'm sorry about what I said…I shouldn't have said it."

It was silent for a couple seconds, as I tried to figure out why he was apologizing.

"I brought some food…..Dinner, actually." Callen said. "That is….If you haven't eaten…..It's chicken parmesan…I heard you like it."

That was when I figured it out.

"Hetty told you how we met." I said, as a fact. "That's why you're here."

Callen didn't say anything.

"I don't need your sympathy." I said. "Or your food. Or your apology. Just go home."

I then slammed the door in his face, and leaned my back up against the door. Crossing my arms across my chest as I did.

"Emily, come on." I heard Callen say. "I really did come here to apologize. To make amends…..Please give me a second chance…Please…..Let us start over."

I hesitated as I thought about what he had asked.

I sighed.

Then, I turned around, and opened the door to see Callen look up at me.

"Hi." I said. "I'm Emily Taylor."

I then held my right hand out to him.

Callen looked at me confused.

"I'm giving you a second chance." I informed him.

"Oh." Callen said. "Hi. I'm G. Callen."

Callen then took my hand, and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you." I said.

"You too." He said.

Callen and I continued to stare at each other for about a minute or two, then I said:

"Would you like to come inside?"

"I'd like that." Callen said.

Callen and I let go of each other's hand,, and he came inside.

I closed the door, and faced him.

"I would invite you to the living room, but Hetty would kill me if she found out we ate in there." I said.

Callen chuckled.

"So, where are we going to eat?" He asked.

"Follow me." I said.

I then walked in the direction of the dining room. Callen followed me.

Once I entered the dining room, I asked:

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Beer, if you have one." I heard Callen say, as I headed into the kitchen.

I walked over to the refrigerator, opened the door, and grabbed two beers out of it.

I closed the refrigerator door, and opened a drawer beside it that had the eating utensils in it. I grabbed two knives and two forks before I closed the drawer, and walked back into the dining room.

Callen was already sitting down at the dining room table when I rejoined him.

I sat down a beer in front of him, along with a knife and a fork.

"Thank you.' Callen said.

"You're welcome." I said, as I sat down myself.

Then, it was silent as we began to eat.

After a couple minutes of silence, Callen said:

"I don't know what it stands for."

I looked at him confused.

"G." He said. "I don't know what it stand for…..No one ever told me." Callen then looked at me. "As for my family…I never knew them. My mother got killed right in front of me when I was little. I don't know what happened to my father, and my sister is dead…We were both in the foster care system, but not together, and she died at a young age…..I was in thirty seven foster homes. Some were nice, others weren't so good….But here I am."

I let what Callen said sink in, then I asked:

"Why did you tell me that?"

"I figured it was only fair you knew about my past, since, I know about yours." He said.

Not all of it, I thought.

"Ok." I said, nodding.

It was silent then, as we began to eat once again.

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(The Next Day)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I walked into the bull pen after working out a little in the gym, and taking a shower, and stopped as soon as I entered.

Sam, Kensi, and Deeks were all crowded by Emily's Desk.

"Was there a book club I didn't know about?" I asked.

All three of them looked at me.

"Sorry, G." Sam said. "Didn't know you were interested."

"Why are you all by Emily's desk?" I asked, as I walked to my own.

"Because someone left a gift for her." Deeks said. "And no one knows who it's from."

I smiled little. Knowing what he was talking about.

"Is that so?" I asked, pretending not to know anything about it.

"Yeah." Kensi said, as she stood back a little, giving me a clear view of the white bag I put there earlier this morning when I came in. "I wonder who it's from?"

"Is there a card or something?" I asked, knowing there was.

"Yeah." Deeks said. "But it makes no sense to me."

Deeks then handed the small card over to me.

I took it from him, and re-read the words I wrote:

"Thank you for giving us a chance to start over."

On the inside, I was smiling. Knowing it must be driving them crazy not knowing it was from me.

But, on the outside, I pretended to be confused like they were.

"It doesn't seem that confusing." I said, as I gave Deeks back the card. "It seems as if she gave someone a second chance."

"Not possible." Deeks said. "Emily never gives anyone a second chance. Not even….."

Then, Deeks was silient, as he looked straight ahead.

I followed his gaze and saw Emily standing by the bull pen's entrance.

"Why are you guys by my desk like a herd of sheep?" Emily asked.

"Someone left you something on your desk." Kensi said. "And we have no idea who."

A curious, yet, confused look came to Emily's face.

She then walked over to her desk, and sat her bag down, as she looked at the white bag.

"There was also this." Deeks said, holding out the card to her.

Emily took the card and read it.

I saw her smile a little. Letting me know she knew it was from me.

From seeing her smile, I found myself smiling.

Especially, since, she was smiling because of me.

Emily then opened the white bag. The smile on her face, grew.

"What's in the bag?" Sam asked.

"Two chocolate glazed doughnuts." Emily said.

Emily then glanced up at me.

I just looked back at her, smiling.

"Sounds like someone has an admirer." I heard Kensi say.

Emily laughed a little, as she looked away from me. A slight blush coming to her face.

And I couldn't help but think she looked really cute right now.

"Who is it from?" I heard Deeks asked, as I began to walk out of the bull pen.

"Someone." I heard Emily answer.

I smiled more as I left the bull pen.

"G," I heard Sam say behind me.

I turned around and faced him.

Sam gave me a once over, then, a smile broke out on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"You like her." Sam said.

Not a question.

A statement.

It was his way of letting me know he knew I gave Emily the doughnuts.

I looked at Emily, who was still being questioned by Deeks and Kensi, and shrugged.

"She's not so bad." I said.

I then looked back at Sam, who still had that knowing smile on his face.

Then, I turned around, and walked away.


	22. Chapter 22

(One Month Later)

(At Emily's Apartment)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing.

I grabbed my phone off the night stand, and answered it.

"Taylor." I said.

"Em, it's me." I heard Marty say.

"Marty, you better have a good reason for calling me at," I began. Then, I looked at the time on my clock on my night stand. "Three thirty- four, in the morning."

"I'm going to be at your apartment building in ten minutes." Marty said.

"Why?" I asked. "Oh god, please tell me you didn't flood your apartment again."

"Hey! Monty did that!" Marty said defensively.

"Yes, because Monty can reach the shower handle, and turn it on." I said sarcastically.

"Just be ready when I get there." Marty said. "Bates wants us at the station."

"Why does Bates need me?" I asked.

"I don't know." Marty said. "He wouldn't say. Just told me to get you can come to the station."

"Alright." I said. "See you soon."

I then hung up the phone, and sat up.

Lieutenant Bates was the head of LAPD. He is currently Marty's boss, and used to be my boss.

It really made me wonder why he needed to see me.

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"Gosh, this is weird." I said, as I closed the car door, and looked at the LAPD building. "The last time I was here was….When I resigned."

"I know." I heard Marty say beside me. "And nothings been the same since."

I looked at Marty as he looked at me.

When I was at LAPD, everyone pretty much liked me, and hardly anyone liked Marty. But, since he was my partner, everyone was nice to him, and tolerated him, because they wanted to be on my good side.

However, once I left, the way they truly felt about Marty became known. And they ended up blaming him for the reason why I left.

Which, wasn't even close to being the truth.

"I'm sorry I left you." I said quietly.

"There's no need for you to be." Marty said. "Like I said…..I would have done the same thing."

"I'm still sorry." I said.

Marty put his arm around me.

"If anyone is sorry, it's me." He said. "I should've gone with you."

I was going to protest, but Marty spoke first:

"But we're here now. So, let's go see why Bates needs the two best Detectives that LAPD ever had."

Then, Marty smiled.

I smiled a little back at him.

Then, Marty and I made our way to the entrance of LAPD.

Once we were inside the building, Marty dropped his arm from my shoulders.

"Walk this way." Marty said.

"Only if you sound like Steven Tyler when you sing it." I said, as we made our way down the hall.

Marty laughed.

"You would love that, wouldn't you?" He asked.

"Just like how you would love it if I sounded like Madonna when I sing one of her songs." I said.

"Just like a prayer." Marty said. Then, he sang: "_I'll take you there!_"

I laughed.

"Hey! Don't laugh at my singing." Marty said, then he smiled playfully.

"Deeks!" I heard a voice say.

Marty looked toward the voice. His smile fading slightly.

"Does this LOOK like a place to have a date?" The voice asked angrily.

"You should mind your own business, Dickerson." Marty said.

"Get her out of here, Deeks." I heard Dickerson say. "Otherwise-"

"Otherwise, what?" I asked, snapping at Dickerson, as I looked at him.

Dickerson looked at me wide eyed. Clearly shocked to see me.

"Come on. Tell me." I dared him. "What are you going to do?"

Dickerson just stared at me in shock.

"I know how you've been treating Marty." I said, as I stepped closer to him. "I know how _all _of you have been treating him since I left. And I, don't like it."

Suddenly, Dickerson looked scared.

"So, I want you to repeat every word I'm about to say to you, to everyone else in the department." I said. "If you keep treating Marty the way you have been treating him, you're going to answer to me….And I don't think you want that to happen, now, do you? Especially, since, you know what I'm capable of doing…..Do I make myself clear?"

Dickerson gulped loudly, and nodded his head so fast, I thought it was going to fly off.

"Good." I said.

I then walked away from him. Marty following me.

"Damn, I think you made him wet himself." Marty said.

"Yeah, well, I think I got my point across." I said. "You shouldn't be having much trouble with people here anymore. Especially Dickerson."

"Thanks, Cupcake." Marty said, a small smile on his face. "But, once again, I must tell you, I can fight my own battles."

"And, once again, I must tell you, you can fight battles, but you can't fight a war on your own." I said.

Marty and I then stopped walking, and looked at each other.

Marty then lifted his hand up, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." I heard a voice say.

Marty and I looked away from each other, as he opened the door.

We both walked in the office.

And when we did, I saw Lieutenant Bates sitting at his desk.

Bates looked up and smiled at us.

"Detective Deeks, Agent Taylor." Bates said. "Please, take a seat."

Marty closed the door, and we both sat down in a chair across from Bates.

"I'm sure you both are wondering why I asked you two here." Bates said.

"Especially at this hour." I said.

Bates smiled at me.

"Yes, my apologies about that." Bates said. "But I thought this was important, and that you two would want to know right away."

"Ok." Marty said. "So, why are we here?"

"There's been a break in one of your cold cases." Bates said.

"Which one?" I asked.

"The Watson's." Bates said.

I looked at Marty just in time to see Marty look at me.

He was mirroring my shock.

"Really?" I asked, as I looked back at Bates.

Bates nodded.

"Seriously?" Marty asked.

"Very serious." Bates said. "Someone called in a tip about the gray SUV. The person said she saw it enter a suburb community."

"Which one?" Marty and I asked at the same time.

Bates smiled a little.

"I hope you two are still in touch with your aliases for this case." Bates said, as he picked up a folder and held it out to me. "You're going to need, and update, both of them."

"The Conner's Suburb." Marty said, as I took the folder.

Bates nodded.

"But we checked everyone there." I said. "And they were all clean."

"Which means the murderer is still there, or they just moved in." Marty said.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then, Bates said:

"I'll you both to it….Good luck."

Marty and I both stood up and made our way to the door.

As Marty opened the door, I stopped, and turned to face Bates.

"Lieutenant Bates, Sir," I began, gaining his attention.

"Yes, Agent Taylor?" Bates asked.

"Mr. Watson, was a marine." I said. "Marty is a liaison for NCIS, and I work for NCIS now…I guess I'm asking if it would be 'ok' if NCIS took over this case."

Bates was silent for a moment, then he said:

"That will be fine. He was a marine after all. But, if you need back up, just ask. LAPD will give you two any assistance you need."

"Thank you, sir." I said.

Then, Marty and I left. Marty closing the door behind us.


	23. Chapter 23

(NCIS:OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

Sam and I walked into the bull pen to see Kensi sitting at her desk, eating a breakfast burrito.

"Morning, Kens." I said, as Sam and I went to our desk.

"Morning, Callen." Kensi said. "Morning, Sam."

"Morning, Kensi." Sam said, as he sat down at his desk. "Where's the two best friends?"

I sat down at my desk, and looked across from me, to see only Sam at his desk.

"I don't know." Kensi said.

"You don't know where Deeks is?" I asked her.

Kensi shook her head.

"He's your partner." I said. "You should ALWAYS know where your partner is."

"Callen's right, Kensi." Sam said. "You should always know where your partner is at all times."

"He's only a little late." Kensi said. "It's not like he's in trouble….Right?"

Sam and I looked at each other.

"Should I call him?" I heard Kensi ask, concern clear in her voice.

"Look, Kensi," I began, as I looked back at her. "I'm sure Deeks is fine. He's probably with Emily, and they're probably almost here."

Sam nodded in agreement.

"You're right." Kensi said. "He's with Emily, and they're almost here."

"Who's almost here?" I heard a voice ask.

Kensi, Sam, and I looked toward the bull pen's entrance, and saw Deeks walking toward his desk.

"No one." Kensi said quickly. "Where's Emily?"

"Right behind me." Deeks said, as he sat his bag down.

Then, a: "Uh oh" look came upon his face.

Deeks put his hands in his pockets. Obviously looking for something.

Then, he made a face that suggested he forgot whatever he was looking for.

"Damn it!" Deeks said.

Then, he looked toward the entrance of the bull pen.

I followed his gaze and saw Emily coming in.

"Emmy," Deeks began, as Emily reached her desk, and sat her bag down on the desk. "Do you happen to have…."

Emily put her hand in her pocket, took out something, and held it up to Deeks, a small smirk on her face.

I looked at what was in her hand, and did a double take.

In her hand, was a wedding ring.

I then looked at Emily's left hand.

She was wearing a wedding ring.

Deeks sighed, clearly relieved, as he smiled.

"You should keep a better eye on it." Emily said.

Deeks took the ring from her, and slipped it on his ring finger of his left hand, as Emily took a folder out of her bag.

"Thank you." Deeks said.

Then, Deeks kissed Emily's cheek, before she left the bull pen. Deeks following her.

It was silent between Sam, Kensi, and I.

I was shocked.

Neither one of them mentioned that they were married.

Let alone, married to each other.

It would explain why Deeks was so protective of Emily.

Knowing that they were married made me sad.

If only Deeks wasn't married to Emily….If only Emily was available…..

I mentally shook my head.

During the past month, I've been having thoughts about Emily.

Wondering if she was single, wondering if she was with Deeks or anyone for that matter.

Wondering, if she was interested in me.

I don't know why I was having these thoughts.

I only viewed Emily as a colleague.

That's it. Nothing more.

Despite me not knowing what the feeling was that I had whenever Deeks and Emily were too close to each other.

Or, the feeling I got whenever Emily and I were together.

"Did I really see what I just saw?" Kensi asked shocked. Breaking the silence.

"I think so." I said, as I began to feel sadder.

"Emily and Deeks are married." Sam said.

"Why didn't they say anything?" Kensi asked, a hint of anger and hurt in her voice. "Why didn't Deeks tell me?"

"Probably the same reason why I didn't tell anyone I was married." Sam said. "They probably wanted to keep their work life and personal, private life separate."

I looked where Deeks and Emily walked off to, and saw they were talking to Hetty in her office.

"But it doesn't make sense." I heard Kensi say. "Deeks would have said something if he was married. I'm sure of it. Plus, wouldn't we have been able to tell if Emily and Deeks were together in that way?"

Just then, I saw Deeks put his arm around Emily's shoulders, as she put her arms around his waist.

"You mean like that?" I asked, as I ignored the impulse to walk right over there and rip Deeks arm off.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kensi looked at Deeks and Emily.

"You know," I heard Sam say. "It sounds as if you're jealous."

"I am NOT jealous!" I said, defensively, as I looked at Sam.

"I was talking to Kensi." Sam said.

"Oh, well, yeah, of course she is." I said.

"No I'm not." Kensi said quickly, as she looked at me.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"I, am not, jealous." Kensi said. "….But I think _you_ are."

"Really?" I asked, amused. "How?"

"Because of how you answered Sam's question." Kensi said. "You automatically assumed he was talking to you, and, you sounded very defensive when you answered him."

I just stared at Kensi, as she smirked victoriously at me.

"I'm not jealous." I said.

Am I?

Was that what this feeling was that I was feeling right now? Not to mention, the same feeling I had whenever Emily was around another guy? Especially Deeks?

If that was the feeling, then, that would mean...

"Deeks is coming." I heard Sam say.

I looked at the bull pen's entrance just in time to see Deeks come into the bull pen and walk straight to his desk.

Sam, Kensi, and I watched him, as he took his keys out of his bag.

Then, Deeks stopped moving, and looked at Sam, Kensi, and myself slowly, as if he was a deer caught in headlights.

"Yes?" Deeks asked, slowly, sounding confused.

"Is there something you wanna tell us, Deeks?" I asked him.

"Or, at least, something you want to tell me?" Kensi asked him. "Since, I'm your PARTNER, and all."

Deeks looked at Kensi and I confused. Then, he looked at Sam.

"I respect your privacy." Sam said.

It was silent for a second, as Deeks continued to stare at the three of us confused.

"I'm not sure what's happening here." Deeks began. "But, I'm going to leave now, so…."

Then, Deeks walked toward the bull pen's entrance, and left.

Once Deeks was out of hearing range, I looked at Sam in disbelief, and asked:

"You respect his privacy?"

"Yeah, I do." Sam said.

"Since when?" I asked.

"Since ever." Sam said.

"You don't respect my privacy." I said.

"That's because you're you." Sam said.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

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(A Couple Hours Earlier)

(In Marty Deeks Car)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

Marty and I were heading to OPS to tell Hetty about the case, when Marty suddenly asked:

"What's our wedding song going to be?"

"What?" I asked, looking at him confused.

"Well, every couple has a wedding song." Marty said. "Which, happens to be 'their' song that describes their relationship….So, what's ours?"

"You do know we aren't _actually_ married, right?" I asked him.

"I know." Marty said. "But, Sally Kramer, and Ryan Porter now are….And they have a dog named Monty."

"I'm not doing this with you right now." I said, as I looked at the wedding ring on my ring finger of my left hand.

"But we NEED a wedding song!" I heard Marty say.

"Why do we NEED a wedding song?" I asked, as I looked back up at him.

"What if someone asks us?" He asked.

"No one is going to ask what our wedding song was." I said.

"You don't know that." He said. "Plus, technically, I just did."

"You're weird, and think of things no one else would think." I said. "You don't count."

"How about….." Marty began, ignoring me. "'Dr. Feelgood'."

"No." I said.

"Why not?" He asked. "We both like that song."

"That song is a song you play at a party and rock out to." I said. "NOT a wedding song."

"But a wedding IS a party." Marty pointed out to me. "In which you celebrate the newlyweds love for each other."

"You don't play 'Dr. Feelgood' at a wedding." I said. "Just like how you don't play 'Please Forgive Me' at a party."

"Hey! Don't bring Bryan Adams into this!" Marty said.

"I'm just proving a point." I said. "I anyone asks what our 'wedding song' is, which they won't, it's NOT going to be 'Dr. Feelgood'."

"If they ask me it will be." He said.

I rolled my eyes, and shook my head.

"Speaking of us being married," Marty began.

"We're not married." I said.

"_Pretending_ to be married," Marty said, starting over. "Are you ok with this?"

"Yeah." I said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's just the last time you had to go undercover as a married woman was when you went undercover with John." He said. "Not to mention, you two were already together-"

"I'm good, Marty." I said, cutting him off. "I mean, it's been what? Five years now? I think I'm over it."

Marty nodded.

"Ok." He said. "Just making sure."

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Once Marty and I got to the NCIS building, Marty parked the car, and turned it off.

"Do you think Hetty will be mad at us for being late?" He asked.

"Not if we tell her why." I said.

Marty nodded.

Then, he opened the car door, and got out.

I opened my door and got out as well, as Marty opened the back door to get his bag.

I was about to close my door, when I noticed Marty left his wedding ring in the cup holder.

"Uh," I began, as I looked at Marty.

But he was already almost to the door of the building.

I shook my head, grabbed the ring, and put it in my pocket.

I then closed the door, grabbed my bag from the back seat, and headed toward the building.

Once I was inside the building, I walked straight to the bull pen.

"Emmy," I heard Marty begin, once I reached my desk, and sat my bag down on my desk. "Do you happen to have….."

Knowing what he was talking about, I took the ring out of my pocket, held it up, and smirked at him.

Marty sighed, clearly relieved, as he smiled.

"You should keep a better eye on it." I said.

Marty took the ring from me.

Then, I unzipped my bag, and took out the folder we got from Bates.

"Thank you." I heard Marty say.

Then, he kissed me on the cheek.

I then left the bull pen, and headed toward Hetty's Office. Marty following me.

Once we reached Hetty's desk, it was silent, as Hetty continued to read her book, and ignored us.

Finally, after a couple seconds, without looking up, Hetty said:

"Agent Taylor, Detective Deeks, you're late."

"We know." I said. "But we have a good reason for that."

"Is it as bizarre as that time you said the reason was because a dragon was preventing you from leaving the house?" Hetty asked.

"No." I said, as I glared at Marty.

He was the one who said that.

Why?

I wish I knew.

Marty smiled innocently at me.

"Then, I'm listening." Hetty said.

"Lieutenant Bates called us into LAPD this morning." I said.

"One of our cold cases got heated up again." Marty said.

Hetty looked up at us.

"Really?" Hetty asked.

Marty and I nodded.

"The victims were former Marine Scott Watson, and his wife, Anna Watson." I said, as I sat down the folder the case was in on her desk.

"We pulled some strings and NCIS has full lead on this case." Marty said.

Hetty and I just looked at him.

"Ok, Emily asked, and Bates granted it." Marty admitted.

Hetty smiled a little.

"What is your cover for this case?" Hetty asked.

"Well, before we were 'boyfriend and girlfriend'." I said. "But we updated our aliases to 'husband and wife'."

Marty then showed Hetty the wedding ring on his hand.

"I see." Hetty said.

Then, Hetty looked at something behind us. Something obviously gaining her attention.

I looked at her suspiciously, as I noticed an amused smile come to her face, and curiosity show in her eyes.

"If you two are going to act like husband and wife, you must have it be believable." Hetty said, still looking at whatever was behind us.

"Hetty, Emily and I don't need to practice." Marty said. "We've been husband and wife before."

"I'll be the judge of that, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said. "Now, put your arms around each other."

I was going to protest, when Hetty said:

"Now, Miss Taylor."

Marty and I obeyed. Him putting his arm around my shoulders as if it belonged there, and I wrapped my arms around his waist.

Suddenly, Hetty laughed a little at whatever she was looking at.

"You're confused too, right?" Marty whispered in my ear.

"Uh, huh." I said, trying to figure out what was amusing Hetty.

Hetty then looked at us. Still clearly amused at whatever she saw.

"Care to share?" Marty asked her.

Hetty ignored him, and asked:

"Have you two looked over the case file?"

"Yes." I said.

"Have you settled into the house?" Hetty asked.

"Not yet." Marty said. "We were going to tell the others about the case before we did anything."

Hetty nodded.

"How about you two get yourselves settled in the house first, and get the feel for the neighborhood." Hetty suggested. "You can tell the rest of the team in a day or two."

"Hetty, we're _already _familiar with the neighborhood." I said. "It's the same one we were at last time."

"A lot could have changed between then and now, Miss Taylor." Hetty said. "Especially if there are new suspects to consider."

Hetty then looked directly at Marty.

"I assume you have the house you're staying in already?" Hetty asked.

"Yeah." Marty said.

"Good." Hetty said. "Get your keys, and wait for Miss Taylor."

Marty opened his mouth to say something, but ended up closing his mouth, and turned to my ear.

"We're going to figure this out, right?" Marty whispered.

"Oh yeah." I said nodding.

"Ok." Marty said, as we pulled away from each other. "I'll go get my keys."

Then, Marty walked away. Leaving me with Hetty.

"Ok." I said to her. "What was that about?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Taylor." Hetty said innocently.

"Hetty, there was a reason why you had us do that." I said. "You already know we can be a believable couple, married or not, in an instant."

Hetty just smiled.

"You and Mr. Deeks will find out on your own, in time." Hetty said.

"Why can't you just tell us now?" I asked.

"Because it's not my place to tell you, or Marty." She said.

I looked at her confused.

"On another note," Hetty began. "Are you ok with going undercover with Mr. Deeks as husband and wife?"

"Yes." I said, knowing she was talking about John.

"Are you sure?" Hetty asked.

"Hetty, it's not like he got killed." I said.

"Yes, but, you two were _almost_ married yourselves." Hetty said.

"That's the past." I said. "And it has nothing to do with pretending to be married."

"Ok." Hetty said with nod. "I was just making sure." Hetty looked back down at her book. "You can go now, Miss Taylor. And, please, keep Mr. Deeks in line."

"Will do." I said.

I then turned around, and walked away from Hetty's Office.

I looked toward the bull pen, expecting to see Marty waiting for me there, but I didn't see him.

I walked to the entrance of the bull pen.

"Hey, guys," I began, getting Sam, Kensi, and Callen's attention. "Where's Marty?"

"Loverboy left a couple seconds ago." Sam said, a smile on his face.

"Ah, he must be waiting for me at the car." I said to myself. Then, I said: "Thanks."

I then began to walk away.

"Uh, hey! Emily! Wait a minute!" I heard Kensi say.

I turned around to see her walking up to me.

"Yeah, Kensi?" I asked.

"I, uh, just wanted to say, that I'm glad that Deeks is…happy." Kensi said.

"Me too." I said. "To be honest, I think it has something to do with you."

"What? Oh….no." Kensi said. "No, no, it's DEFINITELY because of you. I don't matter to Deeks like you matter to him…I swear."

I looked at her confused.

"O…..K." I said slowly. "Good to know…I guess….I'm going to go now."

"Yeah, ok!" Kensi said, smiling at me.

"See you later, Kensi." I said, still confused.s

"See you later." Kensi said.

I then walked away from her.

What was that? I thought.

Once I left the building, I walked over to Marty's car, and got inside.

I then looked at Marty, who was already in the driver's seat.

He looked as if he was in deep thought.

"What?" I asked him.

"The strangest thing just happened when I got my keys." Marty said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Callen and Kensi asked if there was something I wanted to tell them." Marty said. "And Sam said he 'respected' my privacy."

"That's weird." I said. "Before I left, Kensi came up to me and said that she was glad you were happy, and that you view me and her in 'different' ways."

"She did?" He asked.

I nodded.

"They're acting so weird today." Marty said.

Then, he started the car, and drove out of the parking lot.


	24. Chapter 24

(Two Days Later)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

Emily and Deeks haven't been at work in the past couple days.

And, if I'm being completely honest, without Emily here, I was sad.

I missed her, and her beautiful smile.

Stop it, G. I thought, You don't like her, and even if you did, you can't think of her like that. And not just because she's taken by Deeks.

Deeks.

Why did it HAVE to be Deeks?!

I took one of the couch pillows and pushed it against my face. Hoping it would somehow smother my thoughts.

I was currently lying down on the couch in the NCIS building.

I had stayed here overnight once again to work on paper work.

Which, I didn't even touch once Hetty left for the night.

My mind too preoccupied of a certain someone who shouldn't even be on my mind to begin with.

"Callen….You ok?" I heard Eric ask.

"What do you want, Eric?" I asked him. Hoping he would go away so I could sulk in peace.

"Hetty wants everyone up at OPS." I heard Eric say. "We got a case."

I sighed.

Well, maybe it will get my mind off her, I thought.

Then, I removed the pillow from my face, got off the couch, tossed the pillow on the couch, and followed Eric toward OPS.

Once I entered OPS, I saw Hetty, Nell, Kensi, and Sam looked toward the big screen.

I followed their gaze and stopped walking, once I saw what they were looking at.

It was Deeks and Emily.

Well….So much for that.

"Now that everyone is here," Hetty began. "Mr. Deeks, Miss Taylor, you have the floor."

"Thanks, Hetty." Deeks said. "A couple days ago, Emily and I got called into LAPD, and was told that one of our cold cases is now active once again."

"The victims were former Marine Scott Watson, and his wife, Anna Watson." Emily said, as Nell put their pictures up on the screen behind them.

"Why did it go cold?" Sam asked.

"All of our leads turned into dead ends." Deeks said. "We even went undercover in the neighborhood, and everyone was clean."

"What got it active again?" I asked, as I walked over to Sam and stood by him.

"Someone reported seeing a gray SUV the night of the murder." Emily said. "Recently, we got a tip that someone spotted the same SUV at the neighborhood we went undercover at."

"Which means you missed something." Sam said.

"Perhaps." Deeks said. "Or the killer just moved into the neighborhood. Which, we both think is the case."

"Everyone in the neighborhood, is new." Emily said.

"Since we were last there, anyway." Deeks added.

Emily gave a nod to Nell, and suddenly, six driver license's popped up on the screen.

"The first suspect, is Pamela Rose." Deeks said.

"She's a sweet old lady, who we have already cleared from being the killer." Emily said.

"She makes the best apple pie I ever tasted." Deeks said.

Sam and I looked at each other.

"Are you sure she isn't the killer?" Kensi asked, as we both looked back at Deeks and Emily.

"Absolutely." Deeks and Emily said at the same time.

"She had an alibi, and it checked out." Deeks said.

"The next two suspects are Kyle and Rosemarie Winslow." Emily said.

"They've been married for seventeen years, and have three kids ages fourteen, twelve, and nine." Deeks said. "And they've all been a pain in my ass for the last couple days."

Everyone but Deeks laughed.

"Anyway," Emily said. "The next two suspects are newlyweds Charlie and Sarah Poland. Moved into the neighborhood a couple months ago, and Charlie is an Iraq war veteran. Served in the Army."

"And last but not least, Stefania Garcia." Deeks said. "Recently divorced…And she definitely has the hots for me."

Kensi rolled her eyes, as Emily began to laugh.

"What?" Deeks asked her. "You don't think I'm desireable?"

Emily continued to laugh.

I couldn't help but smile.

Deeks gave her a hurtful look.

"Sorry." Emily said, as she stopped laughing.

But a smile remained on her face.

"Mr. Deeks, and Miss Taylor, have gotten in touch with their aliases for this case." Hetty said. "Reprising their roles as Ryan Porter and Sally Kramer."

"Yes." Emily said. "Our cover before was 'boyfriend and girlfriend', but we updated them to 'husband and wife'."

Deeks then lifted his left hand up, showing the wedding ring on his hand.

"Wait," I began. "You two are PRETENDING to be married?"

"Yeah." Deeks said.

"You two aren't ACTUALLY married?" Kensi asked.

"Oh god, no!" Emily said.

When Emily said that, I felt so relieved.

She's not taken.

Well, at least, she's not taken by Deeks.

"Excuse me," Deeks said, looking at Emily. "Would it really be that bad if we were actually married?"

"Yes." Emily said.

"Well, then…." Deeks said.

"Sorry, but, you're not my type." Emily said.

"Who IS your type?" Deeks asked her. "I keep asking, but you never tell me."

"I think we've gone a little off topic, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

"Right. Sorry, Hetty." Deeks said. Then, he gave Emily a: "This conversation isn't over" look.

So, Deeks isn't her type.

I suddenly found myself wanting to know Deeks unanswered question.

"Mr. Deeks and Miss Taylor are the leads on this case." Hetty said. "However, to help them out, Mr. Callen will pop in periodically as Mr. Deeks cousin."

"I am?" I asked.

"Yes, you are, Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

"Ok." I said.

"Mr. Deeks, Miss Taylor, why don't you take Mr. Callen to your new neighborhood?" Hetty suggested.

"Sure." Emily said. "Let's go."

Then, Emily and Deeks headed toward the door, and left. Me following close behind.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(At The Conner's Suburb)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"How is it, even in my OWN car, when there are more than two people in the car, I am in the back seat like a dog?" Marty asked. "…No offense, Monty."

I just pulled the car into the Conner's Suburb.

Callen was in the passenger seat beside me, and Marty was sitting in the back seat with Monty.

"You mean you're not one?" Callen asked, a smirk on his face.

Marty glared at him.

"Huh, could've fooled me." Callen said.

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny." Marty said.

"I thought it was." I said.

Callen grinned at me.

"Since WHEN have you been on his side?" Marty asked. "We're married. You should be on my side."

"We're _not _REALLYmarried." I said for about the hundredth time, as I pulled into the driveway.

"Well, you ARE my best friend." Marty said.

"Marty, you know I'm always on your side." I said. "Unless you do something stupid, then, you're on your own."

"Well then," Marty said, as Callen and I got out of the car.

Marty got out of the car, as I opened the back door for Monty.

Monty jumped out of the car.

I grabbed his leash, and closed the door.

"It's a nice house." Callen said, as we headed toward the door.

"The inside is nice too." I said.

Marty got his keys out, unlocked the door, and opened it. Walking inside as he did.

Callen, Monty, and I followed him inside.

Callen closed the door, as I unhooked Monty's leash.

Monty instantly ran into the living room, and jumped on the couch.

"Looks like Monty likes it here." Callen said.

"Oh, Monty!" Marty said, as he walked over to him. "What did I say on the way over here? Huh?"

Monty lied down on the couch.

"I told you this isn't our house, and to not go on the furniture." Marty said.

I giggled, as Monty ignored him.

I then looked at Callen and saw he was looking at me. A soft smile on his face.

I felt myself beginning to blush, as I looked away from him.

"Um," I began. "Would you like to see the rest of the house?"

"Sure." Callen said.

We both walked out of the living room.

"Down there is the kitchen." I said, pointing toward it. "And the dinning room."

I then headed towards the stairs. Callen followed me.

Once we were upstairs, I showed him the bathroom, and two bedrooms, before we reached the master bedroom.

"And this is the master bedroom." I said, opening up the door, and walking inside.

Callen came inside, looking around the room.

"This really is a nice house." Callen said. "Too bad something bad happened in it."

"I know." I said.

It was silent for a moment, then, Callen looked at me, and asked:

"Who is your type?"

I looked at him confused.

"Well, you clearly stated that Deeks isn't." Callen said.

"You want to know what type of guy I'm _attracted_ to?" I asked in disbelief. "Why?"

Callen shrugged.

"Curious." He said.

Then, Callen looked me up and down, studying me.

I suddenly felt self-conscious.

"I bet," Callen began, as he walked closer to me. "You go for the bad boy type, who, is secretly not a bad boy."

Callen stopped walking. He was literally close enough to touch.

"Am I right?" He asked.

I looked into his blue eyes.

And as I did, I swear, someone turned up the heat in the room.

"Ever thought maybe I don't have a specific type?" I asked.

"A girl like you? No." Callen said. "You have a type."

"And, what kind of girl am I?" I asked, as I moved a little closer to him.

"One of a kind." Callen said softly. "You're rare….No one else like you."

It was silent then, as Callen and I continued to stare at each other.

"Hey, Honey!" I heard Marty call up the stairs. "Charlie and Sarah are here. And they brought cherry pie over for us."

"…We should." I began.

"….Yeah." Callen said.

A couple seconds went by, then, I walked away from him, and headed toward the stairs. Callen followed me.

I heard voices in the kitchen as I descended the stairs.

I walked to the kitchen with Callen right behind me, and saw Marty, Charlie Poland, and Sarah Poland in the kitchen.

"Hello!" I said with a smile, as I walked to Marty's side.

"Hi! I'm Sarah. And this is my husband, Charlie." Sarah said happily, with a smile of her own. "You must be Sally."

"That she is." Marty said, putting his arm around me.

"And who is this cutie?" Sarah asked, looking at Callen.

When Sarah said that, I suddenly felt protective.

Callen chuckled a little.

"Charlie, Sarah, this is my cousin, Randy." Marty said.

"Nice to meet you." Callen said.

"Like wise." Charlie said.

"You know, Sal, Charlie and Sarah just invited us over for dinner tonight." Marty said.

"Really?" I asked. "Well, we would love to have dinner with you."

"It's settled then!" Charlie said.

"Will Randy be joining us?" Sarah asked.

"No." Callen said, respectfully. "I have to get back to the wife."

"Oh, well, maybe next time then." Sarah said, as she reached her arm out to touch him.

But before she could, Monty began to bark at her.

"Oh!" Sarah said, surprised, as she jumped, and put her hand on her chest.

"Sorry, he's normally not like that." Marty said, as Monty kept barking at her. "Monty, stop."

Then, Monty began growl at her.

"We're so sorry about this." I said, as I walked over to Monty. "Come on, Monty! Let's go outside. Come on!"

Monty barked at Sarah once more, then, he followed me out of the kitchen, to the sliding glass door that led to a porch outside.

Once I reached it, I opened the door, and Monty went outside.

I looked behind me, and saw I was alone.

Then, I smiled, as I squatted down to pet Monty.

"Good boy." I said.

Monty barked happily in response.


	25. Chapter 25

(Later)

(At Charlie and Sarah Poland's House)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

Marty held the wine in one hand, and knocked on the Poland's door with the other.

Callen had left a couple hours ago. Sam came to pick him up.

When he left, I felt sad.

I didn't want him to go.

I'm not sure why I felt that way, I just did.

"Ok, before the door opens, let's go over what we have to do." Marty said.

"Marty, we've went over this ten times already." I said.

"Can you repeat it one more time?" Marty asked.

"Fine." I said. "We have to ask them questions without being too nosy, and about half way through dinner, I will excuse myself, and check out the house."

"Ok." Marty said.

Two seconds later, the door opened, revealing Charlie.

"Ryan! Sally!" Charlie said, smiling happily. "You're right on time. Come on in!"

"Thank you." I said, returning the smile, as Marty and I walked inside.

"We brought over some wine." Marty said, as Charlie closed the door.

"Oh, you didn't have to." Charlie said.

"It was the least we could do." Marty said. "With you and Sarah cooking the meal and all."

"Where is Sarah?" I asked.

"She's in the kitchen." Charlie said.

"Ok." I said. "I'm going to go see if she needs any help."

"Ok, darlin'." Marty said, as I took the wine bottle from him.

"Come on, Ryan. Let me show you something." I heard Charlie say, as I headed toward the kitchen.

Once I entered the kitchen, I saw Sarah taking lasagna out of the oven, and setting it on the stove.

"Hi!" I said, smiling.

Sarah looked at me.

"Oh, hi!" Sarah said, smiling back at me. "I thought I heard voices."

Suddenly, I got a bad feeling in my stomach.

I laughed, trying to shake it off.

"Yeah, that would be me and Ryan." I said. "So, do you need any help?"

"Actually, can you grabbed those dishes and bring them into the dining room?" Sarah asked, pointing toward the dishes on the kitchen counter.

"Sure." I said.

As the evening continued, I still felt the bad feeling, despite me trying to shake it off. I even had this strong urge to grab Marty, and leave the house right away.

I ignored it though.

I was pretty sure the reason why I felt that way was because I didn't trust Charlie or Sarah, or anyone in this neighborhood for that matter.

"So," Charlie began, as we ate our dinner. "How did you two meet?"

"In college." I said. "We had the same English class together."

"Oh, really?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"I remember that day so perfectly." Marty said. "I saw you walk into the room with a bunch of books in your hands, and I thought you looked so cute….I knew I had to talk to you. So, I paid the guy next to me to knock your books out of your hands, so that I could go over and help you pick them up."

I looked at Marty, as Charlie and Sarah laughed.

I remembered the day I met Marty perfectly.

_I had walked into the science room with a bunch of books in my hands because I haven't found my locker yet, and if I didn't get to my next class, I would have been late, and I hated being late._

_Not to mention, I hadn't found the science room until then._

_I probably took five steps into the room, when some boy just walked up to me, and knocked all of the books out of my hands._

_I sighed, and began to pick my books back up._

_As I did, I heard someone say:_

_"Here, let me help you."_

_I glanced up, and saw a boy picking up some of my books._

_I picked up as many books as I could, and quickly walked toward an empty table in the classroom._

_"Hey!" I heard the boy say._

_I turned around and looked at him. He was smiling at me._

_"I'm Marty." He said, putting the rest of my books onto the desk I selected. "What's your name?"_

_I looked away from him, and sat down at the table._

_"You're new here, right?" Marty asked, as he sat down at the table beside mine._

_Maybe if I ignore him, he will just leave me alone, I thought._

_It didn't happen though. _

_The boy, Marty, continued to talk to me for the rest of the day. Despite me not talking back to him._

"Is that really why he did that?" I asked.

Marty smiled at me.

"Guilty." Marty said. "I feel bad that I paid someone ten bucks to do that, but, I don't regret it. You looked like you needed someone….I was hoping I could be that someone you needed."

I smiled at Marty.

Little did he know, he was exactly what I needed in my life right then.

Even though, I didn't even know it myself.

"Aw!" I heard Sarah say, reminding me that we weren't alone.

"I never knew that." I said.

"Now you do." Marty said. Then, Marty looked at Charlie. "Anyway…What do you do for work, Charlie?"

"I work on cars." Charlie said. "Got my own shop in town. So, if you ever have any car trouble, stop by and see me."

"We will do that." I said.

A couple minutes later, despite the feeling I had that protested me to not leave Marty alone, I excused myself from the table, and went in the direction the bathroom was in. Taking my purse with me.

Once I was out of sight, I began to look around the house for anything suspicious.

I took gloves out of my purse and put them on my hands, as I looked through the Poland's stuff.

Not finding anything in the hallway, I opened the door close by as quietly as possible, and entered it.

It was study room.

A place someone would go to, to get work done without being disturbed.

I walked to the desk, and went through the drawers.

The third drawer I opened, I found a gun.

I took the gun out, and sat it on the desk.

I then took my phone out and snapped some pictures of it. Including the serial number, which I noticed was faded in one spot.

I then took out some bags and cotton swabs from my purse, and swabbed the gun. Putting the cotton swabs in their own idivisual bag.

I then took a look at the bullet's in the gun.

I took one out, and bagged it.

I then reloaded the gun, and put it away.

I put the bags in my purse, and was about to take a look at the computer on the desk, when I heard a scream.

I quickly grabbed my purse, and bolted out of the room. Taking my gloves off, and putting them in my purse as I did.

"Ryan!" I heard Charlie shout.

I ran toward the dining room, and saw Marty shaking uncontrollably on the ground.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Ryan!" I said, as I ran to him. "Ryan!"

I knelt down beside him, and took his face in my hands, as I tried not to panic.

"Ryan! Open your eyes!" I demanded.

Marty didn't though. He kept shaking.

"Ryan!" I said.

Then I looked up at Sarah and Charlie.

"Call nine one one!" I shouted at them.

Charlie took his cell phone out with shaky hands, as I looked back down at Marty, who was now starting to foam at the mouth.

"Ryan!" I said, unable to keep the panic out of my voice, or the tears that began to fall down my face any longer. "Ryan! Stay with me! Do you hear me?!_ Stay_ with me!"


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Thank you so much for the comments/review's so far! I truly appreciate it :)

I hope you all are continuing to enjoy the story.

Anyway, here is the next chapter.

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(At the Hospital)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

This is my fault.

This is all my fault.

I was in Marty's hospital room, leaning up against the wall, with my arms across my chest.

I should have left, I thought, As soon as I got that feeling, I should have grabbed him and left.

I looked at my best friend, who was hooked up to a couple of things, including a heart monitor. Which was beeping steady beeps of his heartbeat.

He was poisoned.

The Doctor said he was poisoned.

How, though, they weren't sure.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

This wasn't the first time Marty was in the hospital

But it was the first time he got poisoned, and the first time the doctors almost lost him.

I almost lost him.

I blinked my eyes, keeping the tears at bay.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened.

On instinct, I grabbed my gun, and aimed it at whoever was coming in. I then saw the person.

It was Hetty.

And she was looking right at me.

Realizing it was just Hetty, I relaxed a little, lowered my gun, and put it away.

Hetty came into the room. Letting the door close behind her.

She looked at Marty.

"Is he alright?" Hetty asked.

"Yes." I said.

"I came as soon as I heard." Hetty said, looking at me. "The others are on their way."

I nodded.

Hetty stared at me for a couple seconds, then, she asked:

"How are you doing?"

I was silent as I looked at Marty. Then, I said:

"I almost lost him….How do you _think_ I'm doing?"

I looked back at Hetty.

"This isn't your fault, Emily." Hetty said.

"Then, who's is it?!" I snapped angrily at her. "I had a bad feeling. I, had a _feeling_ to NOT leave him alone. I had a feeling to just grab him, and get him out of there, but I ignored it. I _ignored _the feeling! I-"

I then blinked my eyes to keep the tears away, and composed myself.

"It's my fault." I said.

"No, it's not." Hetty said. "The person who poisoned him, is the one responsible. Not you."

I took a deep breath.

"I could've-" I began.

"There was no way you could have known." Hetty said, cutting me off. "Let alone, prevent it."

I looked at Marty.

He seemed so peaceful in his sleeping state.

"Do you have any idea how Mr. Deeks could have gotten poisoned?" I heard Hetty ask.

"No." I said, shaking my head, as I ran through everything in my head. "We ate and drank the same things, and there was no way someone just slipped it in tonight, or anything."

It was silent for a couple minutes.

And during that time, I realized Hetty was right.

Someone was responsible for poisoning, and almost killing, Marty.

Someone tried to take one of my family members away from me.

Suddenly, the relief I felt for Marty being alright, was quickly replaced with anger at whoever done this to him.

Whoever did this, wasn't going to get away with it.

"Tell Eric and Nell to draw up a death certificate." I said.

When there was no response, I looked at Hetty to see she was looking at me surprised.

"I want whoever did this, to think he's dead." I said.

Hetty nodded.

"Alright." She said.

I then picked up my purse that I had sat down in one of the two chairs in the room, and handed it to Hetty.

"There's some….possible gun evidence in there." I said to her. "Give those to Eric and Nell as well."

"Of course." Hetty said, as she took the purse.

"Tell Sam that Charlie Poland owns a car shop not too far away from the suburb." I said. "And that he should check it out."

"I will." Hetty said, nodding.

I then looked at Marty one more time, before I looked back at Hetty.

"Let me know when he wakes up." I said.

Hetty nodded.

I walked over to the door.

"Miss Taylor," I heard Hetty say.

I turned and looked at her.

"The killer may know who you are now." Hetty said. "Be careful."

"Always." I said.

Then, I turned around, opened the door, and left.

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(At the Hospital)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

Sam and I walked into the hospital room we were told was the right one, and saw Deeks unconscious body in a hospital bed.

On one side, sitting in a chair, was Kensi. Beside her, standing, was Nell.

On the other side, sitting in a chair, was Hetty. Beside her, standing, was Eric.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Someone, poisoned Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked.

"Fortunately, yes." Kensi said.

Nell put her hand on Kensi's shoulder.

"Where's Emily?" I asked.

"Miss Taylor went back to the Suburb community." Hetty said.

"Alone?" I asked. "She shouldn't have."

"Believe me, Mr. Callen, I know." Hetty said.

"Then why did you let her go?" Sam asked.

"Miss Taylor would have went anyway, even if I DID tell her not to." Hetty said.

"Well, you know her. Once she set's her mind to something, it's impossible to get her to change it." I heard a weak voice say.

I looked at Deeks, and saw he was now awake, with a small smile on his face.

"Deeks." Kensi said, relieved. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit nauseous." Deeks said. "What happened? The last thing I remember is having dinner at the Poland house."

"You were poisoned." Eric said.

"Well, that's not nice." Deeks said.. "Any idea how?"

"Not yet." Kensi said.

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna," Hetty said, as she stood up. "Won't you join me in the hallway?"

Hetty then walked by us, and left the room.

Sam and I exchanged a confused look, but followed our boss into the hallway.

Once we reached her, Hetty said:

"Miss Taylor had informed me, that Charlie Poland has an auto shop not too far away from his home. Since it's after hours, I suggest you both go check it out."

"Will do, Hetty." Sam said.

Hetty then looked directly at me.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty began. "Once it is daylight, go check on Miss Taylor, and let her know that Mr. Deeks is awake."

I nodded.

"Now go." Hetty said.

And with that, Sam and I headed toward the elevator.

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Sam pulled into the auto shop called: "Charlie's Auto", and parked the car.

"We're here." Sam said.

"That we are." I said.

Sam and I got out of the car, closed the car doors, and headed toward the building.

"You know," Sam began. "If Emily and Deeks were a real couple, it wouldn't surprise me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, as we began to look inside the auto shop through the windows.

"Well," Sam began. "They have a lot in common."

"They're best friends, Sam." I said, trying to not let what Sam said get to me. "Like you and me."

"Yeah, but when a boy and girl are best friends, that could always turn into something more." Sam said. "In fact, the best relationships come from being friends first."

"Maybe." I said. "But Deeks isn't her type."

I then walked to the door of the auto shop, and turned the door knob.

As expected, the door was locked.

"How do you know?" I heard Sam say, as I began to pick the lock.

"She said it." I said. "In OPS….You were there."

Once I picked the lock, I turned the door knob, and opened the door.

I looked at Sam.

"Shall we?" I asked.

I then walked inside the auto shop. Taking my flashlight I had in my pocket out, and switching it on as I did.

I was in the office part of the auto shop.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary." I said, as I looked around the office.

"Seems that way." I heard Sam say.

I looked over at him and saw he was looking at the desk with his own flashlight in hand.

"I'm going to check out the garage area." I said.

I then walked out of the office, and into the garage.

I looked around the floor, until I saw a tire.

I then lifted the flashlight up, and saw a gray SUV.

"Sam," I called out. "What vehicle were we looking for?"

"A gray SUV." I heard Sam call out to me. "Why?"

"I think I just found it." I said.

"Are you sure?" I heard Sam ask. "Does the license plate match?"

I took my phone out, as I walked to the back of the SUV.

I flipped to the text message that had the SUV license plate in it.

I looked at the text, then I looked at the license plate.

"Positive." I said.

I then looked toward the office doorway and saw Sam standing there.

"Looks like we found our killer." I said.

"And the person who poisoned Deeks." Sam said.

"Let's go tell Hetty." I said.


	27. Chapter 27

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"What do you got for us?" I asked Eric and Nell.

Once Sam and I arrived at the NCIS building, we told Hetty what we found at Charlie Poland's garage. Hetty then told us to go up to OPS, because Eric and Nell had news.

"Well," Eric began. "With the gun Emily found, I compared it to the one that was used of the murder of the Watson's. Turns out, it was the same gun, along with the same bullets that were used."

"Do we know if Charlie Poland owns the gun?" Sam asked.

"Not yet." Nell said. "The serial number on the gun was filed away a little. But, with the help of scanning the number, it's currently being figured out as we speak."

I looked at my watch and saw it was ten o' clock at night.

"Alright." I said. "I'm going to go see Emily."

"I thought Hetty said to go see her in the morning?" I heard Sam ask, as I began to walk toward the exit.

"She did?" I asked, as I looked back at him. "I don't even remember her saying a time."

"G," I Heard Sam begin.

But I ignored him, and left OPS.

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(At the Suburb House)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sitting on the couch with Monty, watching T.V., and waiting for Hetty to call to say that Marty was awake, when there was a knock on the door.

I looked at Monty.

"Were you expecting someone?" I asked him.

Monty just stared at me.

"No?" I asked. "Not even the hot poodle down the street?"

Monty tilted his head slightly.

"You deserve better anyway." I said.

I stood up, and walked over to the door.

I then looked through the peep hole on the door, and saw Callen standing outside.

I unlocked and opened the door.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," Callen said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, as I stepped to the side to allow him to come in.

"I came," Callen began, as he came inside. "Because Hetty asked me to."

I closed the door and looked at him.

"I don't need a babysitter." I said.

Callen raised his eyebrow.

"Do you really view me as your babysitter?" He asked, amused.

"No." I said honestly. "However, now that I think about it, if someone were to babysit me, I'm pretty sure it would be Sam."

"I'd have to agree with that." Callen said.

Then, Callen closed the distance between us. His eyes never leaving mine.

I suddenly got nervous.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Callen lift his hand up.

Then, I heard a click.

"You forgot to lock the door." Callen said.

"Right." I said. "The door. Of course…..Want to watch some T.V.?"

I then walked away from quickly, and headed into the living room, as I felt my face heat up. Indicating I was blushing.

Again, blushing.

Why do I keep doing that?

"Sure." I heard Callen say behind me.

I sat down on the couch, as Monty got off the couch, and jumped into the chair. Lying down in it.

Suddenly, the lights went off.

I looked at Callen and saw he turned off the lights.

"Sorry." Callen said. "There was a glare in the T.V.-"

"It's ok." I said. "I was going to turn them off anyway."

Callen nodded.

Then, he walked over to the couch, and sat down beside me.

The nervousness I felt only moments before came back.

Why am I nervous? I thought, It's just Callen.

"Deeks is awake." I heard Callen say.

I looked at him.

"He is?" I asked.

"Yeah." Callen said.

"Good." I said relieved. "That's very, very, good."

Callen smiled a little at me.

"Sam and I checked out Charlie Poland's garage." He said. "We found the SUV there. And more than likely, he poisoned Deeks, too…..Sam and I are going to go back to the garage when they open, arrest him, and take him to the boatshed to question him."

I thought about what he said.

"I don't think it was him." I said.

"What do you mean?" Callen asked.

"I don't think Charlie Poland killed the Watson's." I said. "Or poisoned Marty….It seems too easy."

"Emily, it WAS him, though." Callen said. "Finding the SUV in his auto shop is proof enough."

"Someone could have easily brought it in and asked him to check it out, or something." I said.

"Emily, the facts are all there." He said. "All we're waiting on, is for Nell to confirm the gun you found, is his."

"It still doesn't seem right." I said. "Something seems off about it. I mean, why would someone in the Army go after a Marine? They're in two completely different branches."

"Well, we're hoping Poland will tell us tomorrow." Callen said. "Along with how he poisoned Deeks."

"I really don't think he did it, Callen." I said honestly. "I know all the facts point to him, but I really don't think he did it."

There was silence between us for a couple seconds, then, Callen asked:

"How about we forget about the case for now, and watch T.V.?"

"…Ok." I said.

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(The Next Morning)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I woke up to the feeling of warmth, and arms around me, holding me securely.

I opened my eyes and saw a neck.

Confused, I lifted my head up a little to see who I was lying on top of.

It was Callen.

And he was sleeping.

Oh, it's just Callen, I thought.

I put my head back where it was, and nuzzled more into his neck. My nose touching him, as I closed my eyes and willed myself to go back to sleep.

Wait, Callen?!

My eyes snapped open.

I then quickly got out of Callen's arms and got off the couch.

I stared at Callen, as he began to move. Stretching himself out on the couch.

I felt myself blushing, as my heart began to beat faster.

How did we end up asleep on the couch? I thought, How did we end up in that position?

Why did I like it?

"Mmm," Callen said.

Then, he opened his eyes.

I ignored how adorable he looked at the moment, and said:

"You're awake!"

Callen looked at me.

"I guess so." He said, smiling a little. "Unless this is a dream?"

"You're definitely not dreaming." I said.

"Too bad." Callen said. "It was starting to become my favorite."

I blushed some more as I looked away from him.

"Damn it." I heard Callen mumble.

"What?" I asked, as I looked at him.

He was sitting up on the couch.

"It's almost eight." He said. "Sam will kill me if I'm not at the auto shop before Poland gets there."

"Oh." I said, feeling sad that he was going to leave.

Callen stood up.

"Well, can you take Monty with you?" I asked. "I'm sure Marty would love to see him…..If he's allowed."

"Yeah, I can do that." Callen said.

"Great." I said.

I looked at the chair where I last remember Monty being, to see he was still there, but was looking at me and Callen as if he was waiting for us to do something.

I grabbed the leash from the coffee table, and hooked it onto Monty's collar.

Monty jumped down onto the floor, then Callen and I made our way over to the door.

Callen opened the door, and looked at me.

"Stay safe." He said.

"You too." I said, handing him Monty's leash.

Callen took the leash from me.

"By the way," Callen began. "A little fact about me….I don't sleep fully throughout the night, and I normally sleep for twenty minutes to an hour or two blocks. I've always been that way…..Surprisingly, though, that didn't happen last night…..Not even once."

"Really?" I asked.

"Really." He said. "…..Anyway, I better go meet Sam…See you later."

Callen then walked out the door. Monty following him to his car.

"See you." I whispered, as Callen opened the door up for Monty.

Monty jumped inside, and Callen closed the door.

Callen then opened up the driver door and looked at me.

He smiled a little.

I smiled a little back at him, as I got butterflies in my stomach.

G. Callen, what are you doing to me? I thought.

Callen then got in the car, and left.

I watched the car until I couldn't see it anymore.

Then, I closed the door.


	28. Chapter 28

(At Charlie Poland's Auto shop)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I drove into the auto shop lot, and parked next to Sam's car.

On the drive over, I was thinking about what had happened with Emily.

I realized I have been opening up to her the way I have opened up to Sam.

However, there was a difference.

I didn't currently have these unnamed feelings toward Sam like I do toward Emily.

Not to mention, last night, I didn't wake up once.

Not with Emily in my arms. Which, I discovered by waking up about a minute or two before she did.

I'm not sure how we ended up in that position, though.

Regardless, sleeping through the night without waking up, was refreshing. Yet, it worried me that she had that effect on me.

No one else ever had.

I then thought about how Kensi said I was jealous.

She was speculating, of course.

But the more I thought about it, along with thinking about how I felt whenever Emily was with another guy, except Sam, I realized Kensi was right.

I was jealous.

Jealous of seeing Emily with any guy that wasn't me.

I was falling for her.

How I didn't realize that until now, I don't know.

I can't fall for her, though. I just can't.

I didn't have that specific rule for nothing.

I opened the door, and got out of the car, just as Sam opened his door, and got out of his car.

"I was wondering if you were going to show up." Sam said, as we both closed our car doors.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Haven't heard from you since you left OPS." Sam said. "I see you got a passenger."

I looked at Monty, who was looking at Sam, from his place in the back seat.

"Yeah," I said. "Emily asked me to take him to see Deeks."

"How is she?" I heard Sam ask.

"She's good." I said, looking back at him. "But she doesn't think Charlie Poland is the murderer."

"Why?" He asked.

"She said it seemed 'too easy'." I said.

"I can see that." Sam said. "I mean, what are the odds that an auto mechanic would be the killer?"

Just then, I heard a car horn.

Sam and I looked toward where the noise came from to see a truck pull into the auto shop.

The person parked the truck, shut it off, and opened the door.

Once the person was out of the truck, I immediately knew who it was.

It was Charlie Poland.

"Hey, Randy!" Charlie said, as he closed the door. "What can I do for you?"

"Answer some questions." I said.

"Sure." Charlie said. "About what?"

"Oh, you know," I began, as Sam walked closer to Charlie. "A couple murders and a…" I then looked at Sam. "What was it Sam?"

"A poisoning. Which is considered as an _attempted_ murder." Sam said, as Charlie looked at him.

"That's it!" I said. I then looked at Charlie. "Do you happen to have an answer for that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Charlie said.

"Looks like he's doing this the hard way, G." Sam said.

Charlie looked at Sam confused.

"Seems that way." I said.

"Randy, if this is about what happened to Ryan," Charlie began.

"OH! So, you DO know a part of what we're talking about." I said.

"What?" Charlie asked, sounding confused.

"He just lied to us, Sam." I said.

"I hate liars." Sam said.

"I don't understand." Charlie said. "What's going on?"

"Federal agents." Sam said.

Then, Sam grabbed Charlie, and pushed him up against his truck. Charlie's back facing us.

"You're coming with us." Sam said, as he handcuffed him.

"But I didn't do anything!" Charlie protested.

"Why do they always say that?" Sam asked, looking at me.

"Maybe they really believe they didn't." I said. "That is what Nate would say if he was here."

Sam laughed a little.

"Yeah," Sam said. "He would."

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(At the Conner's Suburb)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

After Callen left, I took a long hot shower to clear my head.

I then went downstairs to the kitchen, to get something to eat.

Maybe Callen's right, I thought, as I noticed some things that I thought Marty threw away two day's ago.

Maybe Charlie Poland is the murderer.

But, as I thought that, my gut told me Callen was wrong.

But if it's not Charlie Poland, I thought, as I grabbed the food that was expired, and walked over to the trash can.

Who is it?

I ran through the suspect's once again in my mind.

Pamela Rose has an alibi.

The Winslow's have three kids, so, there is a possibility that neither one of them did it.

This then leaves us with the Poland's and Stefania Garcia.

But Marty and I checked into Stefania's alibi, and turns out, she was in Mexico during that month.

Which brings us to Charlie and Sarah Poland.

And I really believe Charlie didn't do it.

But if it was Sarah, how did she poison Marty?

She didn't put anything in the food because we had lasagna, which was in one big dish, and everyone took their own portion of food.

And the wine we had was the one Marty and I brought over.

It didn't make any sense.

I walked back over to the refrigerator to see what else Marty should have thrown away but didn't, when I noticed something in the back of the refrigerator.

I grabbed it, took it out, and looked at it.

It was a cherry pie.

And there was a piece missing out of it.

Nice to know he listened to me, I thought.

I was about to put it back, but stopped.

I looked at the cherry pie, as a memory from last night resurfaced in my mind.

_I walked into the kitchen and saw Marty about to cut into a pie._

_"Hey!" I said._

_Marty jumped and looked at me._

_"You're suppose to be getting ready." I said. "Not about to dive into a pie."_

_"But, it's pie!" Marty said. "You KNOW I love pie! Especially cherry."_

_"You say that about every pie." I said._

_"Is it not the truth?" He asked._

_"Marty, we have to be at the Poland's house in three minutes." I said. "Put the pie away, and get dressed."_

_"But," Marty began._

_I just looked at him._

_Marty sighed._

_"Fine." He said. "I'll put it away."_

_"Thank you." I said._

_Then, I turned around, and walked out of the kitchen._

"I should have known." I muttered to myself.

I should have known that Marty would have somehow eaten a piece of pie anyway.

And that's, when it clicked.

Marty ate a piece of cherry pie.

I didn't.

The cherry pie is what poisoned Marty.

I dropped the pie and it fell onto the floor, as I backed away from it. My hands shaking.

I ran to the sink, turned on the faucet, and began to wash my hands thoroughly.

Who gave us the cherry pie? I thought, Who gave us the pie?

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

I shut the water off, wiped my hands on a towel I had on the sink counter, and headed toward the door.

Once I reached the door, I unlocked and opened it.

Standing on the other side of the door, was Sarah Poland.

She was smiling at me slightly, as I heard Marty's voice in my head:

_"Hey, Honey! Charlie and Sarah are here. And they brought cherry pie over for us."_

I was right. Charlie Poland wasn't the murderer.

Sarah was.


	29. Chapter 29

(At the Boatshed)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"I don't understand why I'm here." Charlie said.

Sam and I were in the interrogation room with Charlie Poland, in the boatshed.

"We told you." Sam said. "We want you to answer some questions about two murders, along with an attempted murder."

"Of who?" Charlie asked.

I sat the folder down on the table I brought in with me, and opened it.

"Do you know them?" I asked, as I slid the photos of Scott Watson, and Anna Watson over to him.

Charlie looked at the photos.

He shook his head.

"No, I've never seen them before." Charlie said.

"Are you lying to us?" Sam asked.

"No." Charlie said, annoyed, as he looked at Sam.

"Then why was the gray SUV in your auto shop?" I asked him.

"I don't see why a gray SUV would mean something." Charlie said.

"Normally it doesn't." Sam said. "But in this case, that gray SUV we found in your garage, is the same gray SUV that was seen the night of the murder."

Charlie's face turned into one of surprise.

"It was?" Charlie asked.

I looked at Sam, just in time to see him look at me.

"I swear I had NO idea!" I heard Charlie say.

I looked back at Charlie.

"You know this guy, right?" I asked, as I slid a picture of Deeks over to him.

Charlie looked at the photo.

"Yeah, he's Ryan. Your cousin." Charlie said.

"He was poisoned last night." I said.

Charlie looked up at me. Shock clear on his face.

"He's also a cop." Sam said.

"You don't think I poisoned him, do you?" Charlie asked.

"Did you?" I asked.

"No! HELL no!" Charlie said. "I didn't poison him, and I didn't kill these two people."

"Then how did the gray SUV end up in your procession?" Sam asked.

"My-" Charlie began.

But he instantly stopped talking. Clearly realizing something.

"Your what?" I asked.

"No…." Charlie said softly. "No way."

Getting annoyed, I hit my hand on the table.

Charlie looked at me.

"Answer the question." I snapped at him.

"No." Charlie said. "I can't."

I looked at Sam.

"I think we just got a confession." I said.

"I think so." Sam said.

"I didn't DO this!" I heard Charlie say angrily.

"THEN TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW!" I shouted at him.

It was silent, as Charlie and I began to have a staring contest.

Finally, after a couple minutes of silence, Charlie sighed.

"I was asked to take a look at it." Charlie said.

"By who?" I asked.

More silence.

"By _who_, Charlie?" I asked.

"She didn't do this." Charlie said. "She couldn't have."

"She, who?" Sam asked.

Charlie hesitated.

"This man," I began, pointing to Scott Watson. "Was a former Marine, who got killed for no reason, along with his wife, in his own home." I then pointed to Deeks. "And him…He, and the girl you saw with him, are both working on their case to catch the murderer. And they must have gotten close, because he got poisoned. Which, was meant to kill him…More than likely, whoever is behind this, is going after her too…Please, just tell me….Tell _us_, what you know before she gets hurt too."

Charlie looked me straight in the eye. Then, He said:

"My wife…..Sarah, she….She asked me to take a look at the SUV, because she was thinking about selling it."

"Was it her car?" Sam asked.

"No." Charlie said. "It was her father's before he died…At least, that's what she told me."

"How long have you known Sarah?" I asked.

"Three years." Charlie said. "….I can't imagine her being a killer."

It was silent for a couple seconds, then I said:

"If I find out you're lying, you're going to wish you told the truth."

I then walked over to the door, opened it, and left the room.

Could Emily be right? I thought, as I walked toward the table in the main room of the boatshed.

Is the murderer really not Charlie?

If it was Charlie, Emily was safe.

But if it isn't Charlie, and it turns out to be someone else, Emily was still in danger.

And I, didn't like that.

Suddenly, I felt eyes on me.

I turned around and saw Sam looking at me.

"Is there something I should know about?" Sam asked. "Or, something you want to talk about?"

"Nope." I said.

"You sure?" Sam asked.

"If the murderer isn't Charlie," I began, avoiding Sam's prying. "What's the possibility it's Sarah? "

"Hey, guys," I heard a voice say.

Sam and I looked toward the T.V. to see Eric on the screen.

"I found something about Sarah." Eric said.

"What is it, Eric?" Sam asked.

"Sarah Poland was formally known as Sarah Wallace, which, is her maiden name." Eric said. "However, when I looked up Sarah Wallace this time, I found something that didn't show up the first time."

Then, a document popped up on the right side of the screen along with a female photo that wasn't the Sarah we knew.

"That's a death certificate." I said.

"Correct." Eric said. "Sarah Wallace died ten years ago."

"Then who's this Sarah?" Sam asked.

"That, I can help you with." Nell said, becoming visible beside Eric. "I finally got a hit on the serial number on the gun. It belongs to a Katerina Caviccio. Which, when I looked her up, turns out to be the true identity of Sarah Poland."

"Where is she now?" Sam asked, as my phone began to ring.

I took my phone out, and answered it. Putting it on speaker as I did.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Callen," I heard Kensi say on the other side of the phone. "Deeks thinks he knows how he got poisoned. He said before him and Emily went over to the Poland house, he had a piece of pie without Emily knowing it."

"Cherry pie! I had cherry pie!" I heard Deeks say in the background.

"Who gave them cherry pie?" Sam asked.

I thought for a moment, then I realized who gave them the pie.

"Sarah." I said, looking at Sam. "Her and Charlie gave it to Deeks and Emily as a 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift. I was there when they did."

"Kensi, who made the pie?" Sam asked.

"Charlie can't cook." I heard Deeks say in the background. "He told me the best he can do is toast, and that Sarah cooks everything in the house."

"Uh, oh." I heard Eric say.

I looked at him and Nell.

"Uh, oh, is right." Nell said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, if the location on Sarah's- well, Katerina's cell phone is correct….." Eric began.

"She's with Emily, right now." Nell said.

"We need to get to her." I said. "Kensi, stay with Deeks."

"Got it." Kensi said.

I hung up the phone.

"Eric, Nell, try to get a hold of Emily, and tell her that Sarah isn't who she says she is." I said.

"On it." Nell said.

"Let's go, Sam." I said, as I made my way quickly to the door.

Please let me get there in time, I thought.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(The Conner's Suburb)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"Hey, Sally." Sarah said.

"Sarah, hey!" I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would come by and see how you're doing." Sarah said. "See how Ryan's doing."

"Oh." I said.

"Do you mind if I come in?" She asked.

Before I could answer, Sarah walked inside.

Ok then…..

I closed the door, and faced her.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked her.

"No. I'm fine. Thanks." Sarah said. "So…How's Ryan doing? Do you know what happened?"

Yeah, you poisoned him, I thought.

"He, uh," I began, as my eyes began to water. "He died….Last night."

"Oh, no." Sarah said, sounding sympathetic.

I nodded.

"Yeah." I said. "Th-they don't know how, though."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry." Sarah said.

Just then, my phone began to ring.

"Sorry." I said, as I took my phone out of my pocket.

"It's alright." Sarah said.

I answered the phone.

"Hello?" I said.

"Emily, it's Nell." I heard Nell say on the other side of the phone.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry I meant to call you." I said. "But things just got so hectic."

"Listen, Sarah isn't who she says she is." Nell said.

"I know." I said.

"Her real name is Katerina Caviccio." Nell said. "She poisoned Deeks with the cherry pie."

"Alright." I said.

"Callen and Sam are going to be there soon." Nell said.

"Ok." I said, feeling relieved that they were coming. "I have to go now though. I have company."

"Be careful, Em." Nell said.

"Always." I said.

Then, I hung up the phone.

"Sorry." I said to Sarah. Or, Katerina, as Nell had called her.

"It's alright." She said. "So, Ryan died last night?"

"Yeah." I said, nodding. "He did."

There was a couple seconds of silence, then Katerina said:

"I don't like being lied to, Sally…Or should I just call you Emily?"

I looked at her confused.

"I know he's not dead." She said. "I know his name isn't Ryan, but Martin Deeks. A Detective at LAPD who is a liaison to NCIS. And I know you're an agent for NCIS as well."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I, am Katerina Caviccio." Katerina said.

"I don't know you." I said.

"I know." Katerina said.

"Then how do you know me?" I asked.

"Let's just say, you know my uncle." She said. "And I was sent here, to clean up after him."

Suddenly, Katerina pulled out a gun from behind her.

I ran, as I heard shots being fired.

I ran behind the couch, and took my gun out.

Once I didn't hear any more shots being fired, I stood up, and looked around the living room.

Katerina wasn't there.

With my gun at the ready, I walked cautiously back to where I ran from.

When I got there, out of nowhere, a leg kicked my gun out of my hands.

Katerina then stepped in front of me, and punched me in the face. Then, she kicked me in the stomach, making me go backwards and hitting my lower back against the table nearby.

Katerina went to kick me again, this time in the head, but I ducked.

When I stood back up, Katerina tried to hit me two more times, but I blocked her attempts.

I threw a punch at her face, and made contact.

I threw another punch, but she avoided it, and hit me in the stomach.

Then, she knocked me off my feet.

I fell to the ground. Hitting my side hard.

"Ah!" I hissed. Closing my eyes tightly.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Katerina standing not too far away from me, with a gun aimed at me.

"You know," Katerina began. "That cherry pie, was meant for you. Martin was just an unfortunate, almost, casualty."

"Did you kill the Watson's?" I asked.

"Well, since you're going to die anyway, I'll tell you." Katerina said. "The person who killed the Watson's, was my uncle."

"Who's your uncle?" I asked, as I sat up slowly.

"Misha Stavoski." Katerina said.

My eyes went wide, as I remembered exactly who Misha Stavoski was.

"He's out of prison, you know." She said.

"He-He was suppose to-" I began, as fear swelled up inside me, much to my dismay.

"He was suppose to spend the rest of his life in prison." Katerina finished for me. "Yeah, well….I helped him escape that fate three years ago. Which also started my job to go undercover as some person who was already dead, marry someone, call in a tip about the Watson's case, pin the murder on the man I married, and kill you."

"Why didn't he come and kill me himself?" I asked. "He almost did once, why didn't he come to finish what he started?"

"Because he's currently planning a new project and simply didn't have the time." Katerina said. "And he also doesn't want any loose ends interfering."

It was silent for a moment, then I began to say:

"Marty-"

"Your former partner will be fine." Katerina said, cutting me off. "My Uncle only used him as an excuse to torment you, and make you believe he _wanted_ to hurt him, to get to you. He found it as a good way for him to kill people, because he knew you would do _anything_ to protect him…..Which was the process he used with the _others_ as well."

Hearing her say that, made me angrier than ever.

"I'll let him know you said 'hi'." Katerina said, smiling a little.

Then, she pulled the trigger.


	30. Chapter 30

(At The Hospital)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, with blood on my hands, staring at the white wall in front of me.

_As soon as Sam stopped the car, I was out of the car and running toward the door. Taking my gun out as I did._

_"Emily!" I yelled, once I as at the door._

_Hearing no answer, I kicked the door open._

_I walked inside with my gun at the ready._

_I walked into the living room, and instantly saw Emily slump on the floor with two bullet wounds in her stomach. Blood soaking her shirt._

_Seeing her like that, felt as if my own heart got shot._

_"Emily," I said, as I walked quickly over to her, putting my gun away as I did._

_I knelt down beside her and put my hands over her wounds, applying pressure._

_"Emily, can you hear me?" I asked her, afraid I was losing her._

_Afraid I had lost her._

_Emily didn't respond. She didn't even open her eyes._

_But as I continued to put pressure on her wounds, I could feel her stomach moving up and down at a slow pace._

_"Eric, we need an ambulance, now." I heard Sam say._

"How long has he been like this?" I heard Kensi ask.

"Since the EMT guy told him it was ok to let go." I heard Sam say.

"Should we talk to him?" I heard Kensi ask.

"I tried." I heard Sam say. "He hasn't said one word."

"What should we do?" I heard Kensi ask.

"You should leave Mr. Callen alone for a while." I heard Hetty say.

"Are you sure, Hetty?" I heard Sam ask, clearly concerned. "I've never seen him like this…..I've never seen him react this way."

"I know, Mr. Hanna." I heard Hetty say. "But, I think it will be best if we gave Mr. Callen some space…Let him process whatever he is thinking…When he's ready to talk, I'm sure he will find us."

"How's Emily doing?" I heard Kensi ask.

"Still in surgery." I heard Hetty say. "How is Mr. Deeks?"

"He can be released as early as tomorrow morning." I heard Kensi say.

"Good." I heard Hetty say. "But, I meant, how is Mr. Deeks doing from hearing about what happened to Miss Taylor?"

"Better than Callen." I heard Kensi say.

There was a couple seconds of silence, then, I heard Hetty say:

"Miss Blye, Mr. Hanna, why don't you both go see Mr. Deeks and keep him company. I'll stay here with Mr. Callen and wait for any news about Miss Taylor."

"Are you sure?" I heard Sam ask.

"Yes." I heard Hetty say. "Now go."

Then, there was silence.

About a minute or two later, I heard someone sit down in the chair beside me.

And when the person didn't say anything, I knew it was Hetty who sat down next to me.

Just a couple hours ago, I was with Emily, we were sleeping on the couch. She was in my arms.

It felt so good to have her in my arms.

And shortly after, I realized I was falling for her.

I can't fall for her, I thought.

But what if I already have?

Simple. I just ignore the way I feel. Wouldn't be the first time I did that.

But it has been a long time since I felt this way about anyone.

It's also been a long time since I wanted to be with someone.

And I wanted to be with Emily.

I can't, I thought, I can't be with her.

What's stopping me?

My rule.

And, the fear she didn't feel the same way.

I'm not sure how much time went by, but I knew it's been a while, when I heard a voice say:

"Emily Taylor's family?"

I looked away from the wall, and looked at a doctor standing not too far away.

"Yes?" I heard Hetty ask, gaining the doctor's attention.

"I'm Dr. Greene." He said. "I just wanted to let you know that surgery was successful."

When I heard that, a rush of relief flowed through me, and it felt like I could breathe once again.

"She's in a room right now." Dr. Greene said.

"Can we see her?" I heard Hetty ask.

"Yes." Dr. Greene said. "Any time you like."

"Thank you, Dr. Greene." I heard Hetty say.

Dr. Greene nodded, then, he walked away.

She's fine, I thought, Emily is fine.

"Mr. Callen," I heard Hetty say.

I looked at her.

"If you're going to see Miss Taylor, you should wash your hands first." Hetty said.

I looked down at my hands, and saw dried blood on my hands from where I had placed my hands on Emily to try to stop the bleeding.

"There is a bathroom around the corner." I heard Hetty say.

I looked up at her to see she was walking away from me.

I got up, and headed toward the bathroom.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

After I washed my hands about five times, I walked to Emily's hospital room, and looked inside the room from the window.

Emily was awake and talking a little to Hetty, Sam, and Kensi.

I wanted to go in there.

I wanted to see her.

I wanted to talk to her.

I wanted to hold her hand, and let her know I will find Katerina and make her pay for what she has done to her.

But I didn't move.

I stayed right where I was, and watched her from the window.

A couple minutes went by, then, I walked away from the window, and headed toward the exit of the hospital.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(Four Day's Later)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"He hasn't seen her _once_?" I heard Kensi ask in disbelief, not too quietly from across the room.

I was sitting at my desk working on some paper work.

"Nope." I heard Nell say.

"I don't even think he's left his desk." I heard Eric say.

"At least he's talking though." I heard Kensi say.

"Yeah, but, he won't talk about Emily." I heard Sam say. "Every time I brought up G. seeing her, he either stops talking for a while or changes the subject."

"You don't think there's something going on between them…..Do you?" I heard Eric ask.

"No." I heard Sam say. "I would know if there was."

"Then why is Callen acting this way?" I heard Kensi ask.

"I wish I knew." I heard Sam say.

It was quiet for about a minute, then I heard a voice ask:

"Why are you guys staring at Callen?"

"We're trying to figure out something." I heard Kensi say. "What are you doing here? I thought you were suppose to be at home resting?"

"I was." I heard the voice say. "But I got bored. So, I went to go see Emily, then I thought I'd come by to see you guys."

That's when I recognized the voice.

It was Deeks.

"So, why are we staring at Callen again?" I heard Deeks ask.

"He hasn't been his full self since Emily got shot." I heard Sam say. "He hasn't even gone to see her."

"And we don't know why." I heard Nell say.

"Too bad Nate wasn't here." I heard Eric say. "He would probably be able to help."

"Or, since it's G., make things worse." I heard Sam say.

"….Or that." I heard Eric say.

"Maybe I should try talking to him again." I heard Sam say.

"Let me." I heard Deeks say.

"Wait, you're going to TRY to talk to Callen?" I heard Kensi ask in disbelief.

"Yeah." I heard Deeks say. "Why not?"

"Well, for one, you're not exactly a Callen 'expert'." I heard Kensi say. "And two, we don't even know what type of mood Callen is in right now. Even Sam doesn't know, and he's the most knowledgeable out of all of us when it comes to Callen."

"Well, maybe an _amateur_, should give it a try." I heard Deeks say.

Then it was silent for a couple seconds.

"Hey, Callen!" I heard Deeks say.

I stopped writing, and looked up at Deeks.

He was standing right in front of my desk.

"Deeks." I said, pretending I haven't heard anything they were saying. "Aren't you suppose to be at home resting? If Hetty sees you here, she will tear you a new one."

"True." Deeks said. "I should, and she would. But, I wanted to stop by and see how everyone's doing."

"Everyone's fine." I said.

Then, I looked back down at my paper work.

"So, um," I heard Deeks begin. "I saw Emily today…..She's doing better."

That's good, I thought, as I ignored him.

"Have you seen her yet?" I heard Deeks ask. "If you haven't, you really should. I think she would like to see you."

I looked up at him.

"Go away, Deeks." I said.

"Callen," Deeks began.

"I'm doing work, Deeks." I said sternly. "You're suppose to be home, taking it easy. So, why don't you leave me alone, and go do that?"

I then closed the folder of the case I was working on, got up, and walked away.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(Later)

(At The Hospital)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I was standing outside Emily's hospital room, looking at her through the window.

She was sleeping.

I smiled a little.

"The nurse tells me you come by every day." I heard a very familiar voice say behind.

I turned around and saw Gibbs.

He was leaning up against the wall across the hall.

"Twice, sometimes four times these past couple of days." Gibbs said, as he walked over, and stood beside me. "You come in, ask how she is….Then you stand here, and look at her through the window while she sleeps…But you never go in."

"Weren't you suppose to call the next time you were in town?" I asked.

"Slipped my mind." He said.

I looked back at Emily.

"So," I heard Gibbs begin. "Why don't you go in?"

"I don't want to disturb her." I said.

"You won't." I heard Gibbs say. "And I think you know that."

I remained silent, as I continued to watch Emily sleep.

"You should go in." I heard Gibbs say. "I'm sure she would like to see you…You did save her life after all."

I looked at Gibbs.

"The doctors saved her life." I said.

"If it wasn't for you and Sam getting to her when you did, she probably wouldn't have made it." Gibbs said.

I looked away from Gibbs. Knowing he was right.

"If I go in, will you be joining me?" I asked, as I looked back at him.

"No." Gibbs said. "I already saw her. Plus, I promised Hetty I would be on time for dinner."

I nodded.

"And, I'm sure you two have some things to talk about." Gibbs said.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then, Gibbs said:

"See you around, Callen."

"In a bar like before, right?" I asked, as Gibbs began to walk away.

"Sounds good." I heard Gibbs say.

I smiled a little.

Then, I walked toward the door of the hospital room, opened it, and walked inside. Closing the door quietly behind me.

But apparently, it wasn't quiet enough, because Emily moved a little, and opened her eyes.

"Hey," I said, softly.

Emily looked at me, and smiled a little.

"Hey," She said. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

I smiled, as my heart bursted with joy that she was thinking about me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, as I walked over to her.

"Ok." Emily said.

I sat down in the chair by her bed.

"So, fill me in." Emily said. "What have you been doing these past couple of days?"

So, I told Emily everything I have done, and we continued to talk.

And when visiting hours were over, the nurse that I have been talking to for updates about Emily, let me stay with Emily instead of kicking me out.


	31. Chapter 31

(Two Months Later)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I walked into the NCIS building, and made my way toward the bull pen.

Once I reached the bull pen's entrance, I heard a voice say happily:

"You're back!"

And the next thing I knew, I was engulfed in a lung crushing hug.

"Don't you ever get shot again." The person said.

I laughed a little, as I hugged her back.

"I'll try my best, Kensi." I said.

"Good." I heard Kensi say.

Then, she pulled away.

I looked around the bull pen and noticed we were the only ones here.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"I'm the first one here today." Kensi said. "Besides Eric and Nell of course."

"Right." I said nodding.

Eric and Nell always get to work at least an hour or two before we do.

"Where's Hetty?" I asked. "I need to talk to her."

"I think she is in the wardrobe area." Kensi said.

"Ok." I said. "Thanks."

I sat my bag down on my desk, and headed toward wardrobe.

I found her there, looking at a shirt.

"You know Miss Taylor, if I had a dime for every time Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna came back from a mission with blood on their clothes, regardless if it isn't their own, I would be a very rich woman sailing to the Caribbean by now." Hetty said.

"Yeah, but, you'll miss us." I said.

"Ain't that the truth." She said.

Hetty then sat the shirt down, and looked at me. A smile on her face.

"It's good to see you back here, Miss Taylor." Hetty said.

"It's good to be back." I said.

Hetty was about to look at the shirts on the rack, when I said:

"Hetty….There's something I have to tell you."

Hetty looked at me.

"Judging by your tone it must be serious." She said.

"It is." I said. "Before I tell you though, you should know I have tried to tell you before, but we were never alone long enough for me to say anything about it, and I didn't want Marty to know….At least, not until you knew."

"I'm listening." Hetty said.

I took a deep breath. Then I said:

"Katerina Caviccio….Told me some things before she shot me."

"What did she tell you?" Hetty asked.

"She told me who killed the Watson's." I said. "And who her Uncle is…..And their both the same person."

"Who is it?" Hetty asked.

I took another deep breath.

"Misha Stavoski." I said quietly.

Hetty looked at me surprised.

"Well," Hetty began. "Misha Stavoski is in prison for life already."

"No he's not." I said.

"Miss Taylor, I'm pretty certain he is." She said.

"Katerina told me that three years ago, she helped him escape jail." I said. "And she was sent to marry someone, pin the Watson's murder on him, and kill me, so that he could move on to his next project."

"Katerina is lying, Miss Taylor." Hetty said. "If Misha Stavoski wasn't in prison, or breathing anymore for that matter, I would know about it."

It was silent for a couple seconds, then Hetty said:

"I know I don't know everything about what he did to you. I only know what you wrote in your testimony, and case file, along with what he did to his other victims before you…..But, if you want, I can make a call to assure you he is still where I sent him."

"….I would appreciate that." I said.

"Ok." Hetty said with a nod.

I then turned around, and walked away from Hetty, toward the bull pen.

As I approached the bull pen, I saw Sam and Callen had joined Kensi.

Sam looked my way, and smiled once he spotted me.

"Well, look who's back!" Sam said happily.

I smiled.

"Hey, Sam." I said.

"Took you long enough to come back to us." Sam said.

I laughed a little, and accepted the hug Sam gave me once I reached him.

"It definitely seems like I've been gone a while." I said, as we pulled away.

"Too long." I heard Callen say.

I looked at Callen.

And as soon as I did, my heart began to beat faster.

I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

Then, Callen closed the distance, and hugged me.

I hugged him back.

The hug made me feel safe, and protected.

I could smell his scent, and it calmed me down from what I had recently told Hetty.

And that's when I realized, I could stay in his arms forever.

"Emily!" I heard a voice say.

I reluctantly let go of Callen, and turned around.

I saw Marty standing in the entrance of the bull pen with a shocked look on his face.

"Hey, Marty!" I said smiling at him.

"What-What-What are you doing here?" Marty asked, stuttering.

"I come back to work today." I said. "Remember?"

"I-I thought you came back next week?" Marty asked, still clearly shocked.

"No, I told you it was today several times." I said. "….Marty, what's going on?"

"Deeks, you could have walked in with me, you know." I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice, and did a double take.

Walking toward Marty, was Lisa Rosa.

Once Rosa was standing next to Marty, she followed his gaze and looked at me.

"Oh, that's why you ran in here." Rosa said.

I looked directly at Marty.

Marty gave me an uneasy, yet, apologetic smile.

"What the hell is he doing here?" I asked him.

"Am I sensing jealousy?" Rosa asked.

"Marty," I began, ignoring her.

"She's suppose to help us with a case we got yesterday." Marty said. "In fact, she even helped with a couple other cases while you were gone."

"I pretty much replaced you here." Rosa said. "Just like how I replaced you at LAPD…Among other things."

"You DIDN'T replace me." I hissed at her.

"You're right." Rosa said. "I was just the better choice…Even John thought so."

Anger instantly boiled inside me.

I began to walk toward her to punch her in the face, maybe even choke her.

But before I could reach her, Marty quickly stepped in front of me.

"Ok! Let's go somewhere else that's NOT here!" Marty said.

Then, he picked me up, and quickly carried me away.

I tried to get out of his hold, especially when Rosa smirked at me.

I knew I could have, but I didn't want to hurt Marty.

Once we were in the gym, Marty put my feet on the ground and let me go.

"Why is she helping with our cases?!" I asked angrily.

"Hetty kind of…_Asked_ her to." Marty said.

"Why?!" I asked.

"…..I'm not sure." He said.

"I don't NEED her here." I said. "She's just going to make my life hell."

"It's just for this case." Marty said. "After this case, she won't be here anymore. It was the deal Hetty made with her."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I thought Rosa would be gone by the time you got back." He said.

"You still should have TOLD me." I said.

"Just promise you will play nice?" Marty asked.

I glared him.

"I know she starts it, and I know she deserves an ass kicking, but _please_ play nice." Marty begged. "She will be gone before you know it."

I sighed a heavy sigh.

"Fine. I promise." I said.

Marty smiled.

"That's my girl!" He said proudly.

"However," I began.

"So close!" Marty muttered.

"If she pushes me too far, I will _personally_, kick her out of here." I said.

"Noted." Marty said.

I then walked by him, and headed back to the bull pen.

And as soon as I got to the entrance, I stopped walking at what I saw.

Rosa was sitting on the edge of Callen's desk. Callen was sitting in his chair.

By the way Rosa was smiling at him, I knew she was flirting with him.

And I didn't like it one bit.

Rosa then put her hand on Callen's arm.

Seeing her do that, made me furious.

She's pushing it TOO far, I thought.

I cleared my throat loudly. Which got everyone's attention.

"Oh…..It's just you." Rosa said. "How was your crying session just now?"

I ignored her, and asked:

"You have a desk, right? At least, a temporary one?"

"Yes." Rosa said.

"Then how about you use it for once, before I use it for you." I said.

"Promise!" I heard Marty say behind me, followed by him coughing.

Rosa just glared at me. I looked right back at her.

A couple seconds went by, then Rosa got off Callen's desk, walked to the other side of Kensi, and sat down at the desk.

"Good girl." I said.

Rosa just continued to glare at me.

I then walked over to my desk, and sat down beside Sam.


	32. Chapter 32

(In Kensi's Car)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"So…..Rosa," I heard Kensi begin.

"Is a heartless bitch." I said.

Marty sighed from the back seat.

"I told you NOT to bring it up." I heard Marty say to Kensi.

Marty, Kensi, and I were in Kensi's car, following a suspect.

"I want to know why Emily hates her so much." I heard Kensi say. "Plus, why Rosa suddenly changed personalities once she saw her."

"The Rosa you saw before today, is a fake one." I said, as I looked at her. "She uses it on everybody. Even Marty can back me up on that."

"It's true." Marty said, nodding.

"I know the real Rosa, because I saw through her façade, and didn't take her crap." I said.

"So you two never liked each other?" Kensi asked.

"Nope." I said.

"She mentioned someone named John earlier." Kensi began. "Who is he?"

"Kensi," Marty began.

"I'm just asking, Deeks." Kensi said. "I'm sure Emily can decide if she wants to tell me or not."

I hesitated a little. Then, I said:

"John, used to be Rosa's partner at LAPD. But, before she came to Los Angeles, John and I began to date…..When she transferred from North Dakota, John and I were engaged to be married in a month…..One week before the wedding, I got home from visiting Gibbs in Washington D.C., and when I opened the bedroom door, I saw John and Rosa in bed together…..I broke it off right then and there, and left…They announced they were together the next day."

It was silent for a moment, then Kensi said:

"I'm sorry, Emily."

"It's ok." I said, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm over it."

"Is that why you left LAPD?" Kensi asked.

"Kensi!" Marty snapped at her, as I looked down at my lap.

"It's fine, Marty." I said.

I then looked back at Kensi.

"No." I said. "What happened with John wasn't the reason why I left…..It was something that happened two weeks later."

I then looked back to where our suspect was, and saw he was still there.

"What happened two weeks later?" I heard Kensi ask. Then, she added: "If Deeks doesn't mind me asking."

"…I don't talk about it." I said quietly.

"Ever?" I heard Kensi ask.

"Never." I said.

"She hasn't even told me." I heard Marty say. "Or Hetty, for that matter."

"So, you really never talk about it?" I heard Kensi ask.

I shook my head.

"Never." I said.

Then, it was silent.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(In Callen's Car)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"So, what's the deal with you and Emily?" I heard Sam ask Rosa.

Sam, Rosa, and I were driving to the victim's friend's house to ask him some questions.

I was driving. Sam was in the passenger seat, and Rosa was sitting in the back.

"Nothing much to say." I heard Rosa say. "She just hates me."

"And you hate her?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" I heard Rosa ask.

"But why?" I heard Sam ask.

"Some people, you just don't get along with." I heard Rosa say. "And others….Well, you get more than _friendly _with."

I looked in the rear view mirror and quirked my eyebrow at her.

Rosa winked at me. A playful-flirty smile on her lips.

Since I met Rosa, she has been flirting with me non-stop.

Or, at least, it seemed that way.

Unfortunately for her, I wasn't interested.

Not to mention, I didn't like how Rosa treated Emily this morning.

I then wondered if Hetty knew that Emily and Rosa weren't exactly 'friends'.

Though, with Hetty, you never know.

"You mentioned someone named John earlier." I heard Sam begin. "Who is he?"

"He was my partner before he moved to Miami a couple months ago." I heard Rosa say. "He was the reason why Emily left LAPD….He dumped her."

"They dated?" I asked.

"They were almost married." I heard Rosa say. "It wasn't until a week before the wedding he realized she wasn't the one for him."

Emily was almost married?

And whoever this John guy was, broke things off with her a week before the wedding?

Knowing John broke her heart, made me furious.

How could he do that to her?

"Let me guess," I heard Rosa begin. "She didn't tell you two any of this?"

It was silent for a moment, as I felt Sam's eyes on me.

"How about we stop for coffee, G? I feel a caffeine withdrawal coming on." I heard Sam say.

I did as Sam asked, and pulled over on the side of the road beside a coffee shop.

"Rosa," I heard Sam say. "Do you mind going in and getting us some coffee?"

"Sure." I heard Rosa say.

Then I heard the back door open, then shut.

"Want to talk before your _girlfriend_ gets back?" I heard Sam ask.

"Very funny, Sam." I said, looking at him.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"So, nothing with Emily?" Sam asked.

I shook my head.

"Then why when Rosa was telling us about a guy that 'supposedly' almost married Emily, you had that angry look on your face?" Sam asked.

"What angry look?" I asked confused.

"The look you get when you get pissed off." He said.

"I don't get a look when I get pissed off." I said defensively.

"Yes, you do." Sam said.

"No, I don't." I said. "I would know if I did."

"Not if you don't realize it." He said.

"How wouldn't I realize it?" I asked.

"Forget it." Sam said.

"No." I said. "I don't have a pissed off look."

"Alright. " Sam said. "Let's say for argument sake, you don't. Then, how would you explain you gripping the steering wheel tightly so your knuckles turned white?"

"I'm not holding the steering wheel tightly." I said defensively.

"Your knuckles beg to differ." Sam said.

I looked at my hands and saw I really was holding the steering wheel tightly as to have my knuckles turning white.

I loosened my grip.

"What's going on, G?" I heard Sam ask.

I remained silent.

"You know you can tell me, right?" I heard Sam say. "You can trust me."

"I know." I said.

"Then tell me what's going on." I heard Sam say.

"I can't." I said.

"Why?" I heard Sam ask.

"Because once I say it….I won't be able to deny it." I said. "I already know it, but if I say it out loud…..I won't be able to go back."

It was silent for a minute or two, then I heard Sam say:

"Ok…..But if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

I nodded.

I did trust Sam. He wouldn't be my partner if I didn't.

But I felt it best to keep my feelings for Emily under wraps.

Pretty much, keep them to myself.

From my conversation with Sam just now, I knew he had some idea about how I felt about her.

But I also knew he wouldn't push me to tell him.

It was silent in the car after that. Up until Rosa came back with the coffee.


	33. Chapter 33

(Later)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"Want to grab a drink?" I heard Marty ask.

I looked up at him from my desk, and saw he was about ready to leave. Kensi standing beside him.

"I'm good." I said.

"Are you sure?" Marty asked.

"Yeah, Deeks is buying." Kensi said.

"Maybe next time." I said. "I should really catch up on paper work."

"Alright." Marty said. "See you tomorrow then."

"See you." I said.

Then, Marty and Kensi left.

I went back to doing paper work.

A couple minutes went by, then I heard a voice say:

"Why are you still here?"

I looked up and saw Rosa by her desk.

"I was wondering the exact same thing." I said.

Unfortunately, the case hasn't been solved yet.

So, Rosa was going to be here tomorrow as well.

"Do you know where Callen is?" Rosa asked.

"No." I said. "Why?"

"Oh, you know," She said. "He seems like such an _interesting_ guy."

"Don't even THINK about it." I said, becoming protective.

"Think about what?" Rosa asked innocently.

"Leave Callen alone." I said. "I mean it."

"And what if I don't?" She asked. "It's not like he's going to go for you."

"What makes you think I like him?" I asked her. "And even if I did-not to sound conceded like you, but, why wouldn't he go for me?"

"Because your damaged." Rosa said. "And not guy wants damaged goods, like you."

I thought about what she said, and realized she was right.

I was damaged. Damaged a lot.

No wonder John cheated on me. He didn't have the guts to tell me I was too damaged for his liking.

And more than likely, Callen won't go for me because of that.

Wait, why do I care if Callen would go for me?

Ignoring that question, I looked at Rosa and saw she was smiling smugly at me.

"Everyone knows that damaged goods, are worthless." She said. "No one cares about them. Not really. But if anyone actually does, it's only out of pity…..Which with Deeks, it explains a lot."

Rosa picked up her bag, still smiling smugly.

"Good bye, damaged Taylor." She said.

Then, Rosa left.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

I was in the gym punching the punching bag.

After Rosa left, I tried to focus on paper work, but the words she said to me kept repeating in my head.

_"Because you're damaged. And no guy wants damaged goods, like you."_

I hit the punching bag harder.

_"Everyone knows that damaged goods, are worthless. No one cares about them. Not really."_

I hit the punching bag even harder.

_"But if anyone actually does, it's only out of pity…Which with Deeks, it explains a lot."_

I punched the punching bag five more times, then stopped, as tears came to my eyes.

I closed my eyes, steadied the punching bag with my hands, and rested my forehead against it.

I then began to cry, as I thought about everything that has happened to me, from when I was little, up until now.

I cried for a couple minutes, then, I sobered up, and backed away from the punching bag.

I began to take off my boxing gloves.

"Hey!" I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice and saw Callen smiling a little a t me, as he came intot he gym.

"I thought I was the only one here." He said. Then, his smile faded. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I said, looking away from him, and took my other boxing glove off.

"It must be something." I heard Callen say, as I walked over to the bench. "You wouldn't have red eyes if it wasn't."

I dropped my boxing gloves on the bench and looked at him.

"It's nothing." I said, as I felt my walls I had around me before start to rebuild.

"You're lying." Callen said. "Quite badly, to tell you the truth."

"Just leave me alone, Callen." I said.

"Emily, don't push me away." Callen said, taking a couple steps closer to me.

"I don't see why you would care." I said. "In fact, I don't see why anyone would care."

"Em-" Callen began.

"Just leave me alone, Callen." I said.

I then walked by him, and left the gym.


	34. Chapter 34

(The Next Morning)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"I'm telling you, it was strange." I said to Sam, as we entered the bull pen.

I had just told Sam what happened between me and Emily last night.

"That is strange." Sam admitted, as we walked to our desk. "What do you think go her upset?"

"I don't know." I said. "Do you think Hetty knows?"

"Hetty knows everything." Sam reminded me, as he sat down at his desk.

"Whether she will tell me is another thing." I said more to myself than to Sam.

"Then ask Deeks." Sam said. "He's her best friend. More than likely, he knows."

That's true, I thought.

"Here comes your girlfriend." Sam said.

I looked at him confused.

"Hey, Sexy." I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice and saw Rosa smiling at me, as she walked over to her desk.

I raised my eyebrows, and looked at Sam.

He had an amused smirk on his face.

"Sexy?" I asked, looking back at her. "Last I checked, that wasn't my name."

"It could be." Rosa said.

"Alright. Let me put it this way," I said. "Call me by my name, or don't talk to me at all."

Rosa looked at me. Clearly amused.

"Good morning, all." I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice, and saw Kensi and Deeks coming into the bull pen.

"Morning." Sam said, as Kensi and Deeks went to their desk.

I waited until Deeks was sitting down, then I asked:

"Deeks, where's Emily?"

"She's not here already?" Deeks asked.

"No." I said.

"But her car is here." Deeks said. "I parked right next to it."

"Maybe she never left here last night." Kensi said.

"No, she left." I said. "She left before I did."

Deeks took his phone out, pressed a number, and put the phone to his ear.

Suddenly, we heard a phone ring.

We looked toward the bull pen's entrance, and saw Emily walking to her desk.

Deeks hung up his phone.

"Hey, Cupcake!" Deeks said, smiling at her.

Emily ignored him, and looked through her inbox tray for something.

I suddenly felt worried.

"Em?" Deeks said. "….Emmy?"

"What?!" Emily snapped at him.

I looked at Sam, and saw he looked just as surprised as I felt.

"I just wanted to see what you were up to." Deeks said, as I looked back at them.

It was silent for a moment, then Emily said:

"Leave me alone."

"Emily," Deeks began, clearly confused, as Emily took a piece of paper out of her inbox tray.

"I mean it, Martin." Emily said sternly. "Leave me, alone."

Then, Emily left the bull pen.

"Ok, what just happened?" Kensi asked.

"That's definitely not the Emily we know." Sam said.

"Something's bothering her." I said.

Then I looked at Deeks.

He looked shocked.

"She called me Martin." Deeks said, sounding just as shocked as he looked. "The only time she called me that was when we got into that really bad fight…."

Then, Deeks had on his thinking face.

"Do you know why she's acting this way?" Kensi asked him.

"N-" Deeks began.

Then, realization showed on his face.

Deeks looked at Rosa.

"What the HELL did you SAY to her?!" Deeks asked, sounding angry.

"What makes you think I said anything to her?" Rosa asked.

"I may look dumb, but I'm not." Deeks said. "I wouldn't be a  
Detective if I was. Now, what did you SAY to her?"

"Facts." Rosa said. "Reality. Stuff I'm pretty she already knew anyway."

"Funny, I THOUGHT I was speaking clearly in a language you understand." Deeks said, sounding a lot angrier. "Tell me, what you said, to her. "

Rosa was about to say something, when a voice said in a somewhat angry tone:

"Detective Rosa,"

I looked toward the voice, and saw Hetty.

"Yes, Hetty?" Rosa asked.

"A word." Hetty said, clearly not taking 'no' for an answer. "My office. Now."

Then, Hetty walked away.

Rosa got up and followed Hetty.

"Get ready to lip read, Kens." Sam said.

"I think I can up that." I said.

Then, I walked out of the bull pen by the miniature living room, and made my way unseen toward Hetty's Office.

I then walked across the room, and leaned against the wall before Hetty's Office.

"Take a seat, Detective." I heard Hetty say.

"Of course, Hetty." I heard Rosa say.

"That's _Miss Lange_, to you." I heard Hetty say bitterly.

Hetty never likes being called 'Miss Lange', I thought.

"I know you're new here, and your job here is temporary." I heard Hetty begin. "And I appreciate you helping with our cases these past two months, but there is something you should know."

"And what is that?" I heard Rosa ask.

"Every single story, even the ones that seem impossible, that you heard about me, is _more_ than true." I heard Hetty say. "Including the story about me knowing _everything_."

It was silent for a couple seconds, then I heard Hetty say:

"I know what you said to Miss Taylor last night. In fact, I know the history you two share…..That includes John Donahue."

"Let me guess," I heard Rosa begin. "She came running to you like a little kid, and told everything to you? And now, you're being a principle because she _can't _fight her own battles."

"Wrong." I heard Hetty say in a very angry voice. "Miss Taylor is VERY capable of handling her own battles."

"Then why am I here?" I heard Rosa asked with attitude.

"Because I'm giving you a warning." I heard Hetty say, sounding even more angry than before. "If you disrespect Agent Taylor again, or any of my other Agents for the remainder of the time you're here, one of those stories you heard of, will become your reality, until the day you die."

A deafening silence followed.

"Do I make myself clear?" I heard Hetty ask.

"Y-Y-Yes, Miss Lange." I heard Rosa say, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Now, get the hell out of my office." I heard Hetty say.

The next thing I knew, I saw Rosa walk away from Hetty's Office, back toward the bull pen.

"You can come in now, Mr. Callen." I heard Hetty say.

How does she always know? I thought.

I walked until I was in Hetty's line of sight.

"I don't appreciate the spying." Hetty said.

"I was curious about what you were going to say to her." I said.

"I assumed so." Hetty said.

"What did Rosa say to Emily?" I asked.

"Lies." Hetty said. "Lies, that hurt her to the very core….Whether Detective Rosa intended it to or not."

"What should we do?" I asked.

Hetty looked at me thoughtfully.

"She's in the weapons room." Hetty said. "You should talk to her."

"What if she doesn't want to talk to me?" I asked. "What if she tells me to leave her alone, or walks away?"

"Keep trying." Hetty said. "Don't let her leave, and be persistant."

I nodded.

Then, I left Hetty's Office, and headed toward the weapons room.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(In the Weapons Room)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was in the weapons room, cleaning a random gun, as I waited for Eric or Nell to call me to tell me if they got anything with the case.

_"Everyone knows that damaged goods, are worthless." _I heard Rosa's voice say in my head._ "No one cares about them. Not really."_

I shook my head.

Rosa's words kept repeating themselves in my mind.

And I couldn't help but think she was right.

"Please tell me that's not the fifth time you're cleaning that gun." I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice and saw Callen standing in the doorway.

I looked away from him.

"You're going to ignore me?" I heard Callen ask.

Bravo, I thought.

"You're not getting rid of me that easy." I heard Callen say, followed by footsteps coming my way.

Once the footsteps stopped, I heard Callen say:

"Talk to me, Em."

From where his voice was coming from, I knew he was across from me.

A minute passed in silence.

"Whatever Rosa said to you, isn't true." I heard Callen say.

I stopped cleaning the gun, and looked up at him.

"You can't say that." I said. "You don't know what she said."

"Then tell me, so I can." He said.

I hesitated.

"Don't your walls up." Callen said. "I do the same thing, and trust me…Sometimes it's just better to talk about it."

I looked into his blue eyes.

"Don't tell Sam I said that." He said.

I smiled a little at him.

"So?" Callen asked.

I looked away from him, as I hesitated some more.

Then, I said:

"I'm damaged….Really, damaged, and…Rosa made me realize that no one likes people as damaged as me."

"If that's true, then no one likes me, either." I heard Callen say.

"You don't know what I've been through." I said, looking up at him.

"I know how you met Hetty." He said.

"That's one thing." I said. "You don't know what happened before then, and what has happened to me since."

"You could tell me." Callen said. "I'll listen."

I was silent as I continued to look at him.

"I know what it's like to feel scared." Callen said. "To be afraid to trust someone, to care, because you don't want to end up getting hurt again….Hence, my childhood…But, then you meet someone, and suddenly, you feel a connection to them that's unexplainable, yet, it feels so right at the same time, you end up taking a chance and put your heart out on the line….Regardless of what the outcome might be…..You take a chance, because you hope for a different outcome than the one before…And you found one in Hetty, in Gibbs, in Deeks, in Sam, in Eric, in Nell, in Kensi…..And you found one in me."

I continued to just stare at Callen.

"Screw what Rosa said." Callen said. "All because she doesn't have people who love her….Doesn't mean you don't."

I looked at Callen and he looked right back at me, as my heart began to swell with a feeling.

I got up from the stool I was sitting on, walked over to Callen, and hugged him.

Callen hugged me back.

It was silent for about a minute, as we just stayed in each other's embrace.

"So….You love me, huh?" I asked teasingly, breaking the silence.

Callen laughed a bit nervously.

"Maybe." I heard Callen say. "….Do you love me?"

When Callen asked that, I made a realization.

The way I felt being in his arms.

The way I felt when I saw Rosa flirting with him.

The way I felt whenever he was around.

My heart beating fast.

Blushing, and feeling nervous.

I was falling for him.

And I was falling for him hard.

"Maybe." I said, barely above a whisper.

I pulled away and looked at him.

"Thank you." I said.

Then, I took his warm hand in mine, and kissed his cheek.

When I pulled away, I looked at Callen and he looked at me.

Callen then began to lean in.

"Hey, guys," I heard a voice say.

I quickly looked away from Callen, and saw Nell standing at the entrance to the weapons room.

"Yeah, Nell?" I asked, as I felt myself blush.

"…..I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Nell asked.

"What do you need, Nell?" Callen asked.

"I found something," Nell began.

"Let's see it." I said, letting go of Callen's hand, as I began to walk over to her.

"Ok." Nell said.

Then, Nell, Callen, and I left the weapons room, and headed up to OPS.


	35. Chapter 35

(Later, At a Bar)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Good work today, Breakfast club bunch!" Deeks said happily, as he took a drink of his beer.

"Here, here!" Sam said, lifting his beer up a little, and taking a drink out of it.

Deeks, Kensi, Emily, Sam, and I were at a bar celebrating solving the case, and getting the murderer.

Which meant, no more Rosa.

Eric and Nell didn't join us because of a thing they had planned beforehand.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm glad this case is over." Emily said.

"I hear ya." I said.

"What? You're not going to miss your girlfriend?" Sam asked teasingly.

Kensi, Deeks, and Emily laughed, as I glared at Sam.

"No matter how many times you say it, it's still not funny." I said.

"I thought it was." Deeks said. "So did Kensi."

"Don't drag me into this." Kensi said.

"You laughed." Deeks pointed out to her. "Normally laughing indicates you thought whatever you heard or saw is funny."

"Explains why I laugh whenever I see you." Kensi said.

"Wow, really?" Deeks asked. "You went there? You REALLY went there?"

"Well, you do look funny." Sam commented.

"Ok, I don't have to take this abuse." Deeks said, as he sat his beer down, and stood up.

"Deeks," Kensi began.

"Nope." Deeks said, as he began to walk away.

"Deeks!" Kensi called after him.

"I don't know who that is!" Deeks called back, as he made his way to the door.

Kensi sighed, sat her beer down, got up, and went after him.

I looked at Emily and saw she had a smile on her face, which indicated she knew something no one else knew, as she took a sip of her beer.

Sam looked at his watch.

"I better get going." Sam said. "Michelle is probably waiting up for me."

"Who's Michelle?" Emily asked.

"My wife." Sam said.

"I didn't know you had a wife." Emily said.

"A lot of people don't." I said. "Not many people know he has kids either."

"And it's going to stay that way." Sam said, looking at me.

"Your secret is safe with me." Emily said.

"I appreciate that." Sam said. "See you two tomorrow."

"Night, Sam." I said, as he got up, and walked away.

I waited a couple seconds, then, I moved over to Sam's seat, sitting right next to Emily.

It was silent between us for a couple seconds, then I asked:

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Emily said.

"Who's John?" I asked.

Emily looked at me.

"I'm guessing Rosa said something about him?" She asked.

"A little something." I said. "But I want to hear it from you."

Emily nodded.

"Ok." She said. "John was a Detective at LAPD. He was partnered with Rosa when she transferred here….John and I were engaged when she came…..Then, a week before the wedding, I came home from visiting Gibbs in Washington D.C., and found them in bed together….I broke it off right then, and….They announced they were together the next day."

It was silent as I absorbed what she said.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"It's ok." Emily said. "I'm over it."

"Was he the reason why you left?" I asked.

"No." She said. "That was just one of the rumors that went around when I left that didn't really stick."

"What was the real reason?" I asked.

Emily looked away from me.

"I don't talk about it." She said.

"Ok." I said. "But if you change your mind….I'm here."

Emily looked at me, and smiled a little.

And once again, I wanted to kiss her.

"Ok." She said. "I have to go to the ladies room….Could you order me another one?"

I smiled a little.

"Sure." I said.

Emily smiled a little more, then She got up, and headed toward the bathroom.

I watched her until I couldn't see her anymore.

I then motioned to the bar tender for two more beers.

"I thought she would NEVER leave." I heard a voice say.

I looked at the seat on the other side of me, and saw Rosa sitting there.

She smiled at me.

"Hey, Handsome." She said.

I sighed.

"Tough day?" Rosa asked.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"Well," Rosa began. "I thought maybe I could steal you away."

"You're out of luck." I said. "Now, can you please go, before she gets back?"

Rosa studied me for a moment.

"Well, I be damned." She said, sounding surprised. "You've fallen for her."

"You have sixty seconds." I said, ignoring her.

Rosa continued to stare at me.

"Fifty seconds." I said.

"That's the difference." Rosa said. "You're in love with her. John never was. I can see it in your eyes. But John….I never saw it."

"Thirty seconds." I said. "You better get out of here."

Rosa stared at me for a couple more seconds, then she stood up.

"I'll leave you alone." Rosa said. "Good luck."

Then, Rosa walked away.

I watched Rosa, making sure she actually left.

She did.

I sat forward once again, and took drink of the beer the bar tender sat down in front of me.

_" You're in love with her."_ I heard Rosa's voice say in my mind. _"John never was. I can see it in your eyes. But John….I never saw it."_

"Back!" I heard Emily say.

I looked at her, and instantly smiled at her.

"I was beginning to think you ditched me." I said, teasingly.

"I wasn't gone that long." She said. "Plus….I would never ditch you."

I smiled more at her.

"And I would never ditch you." I said.

Emily smiled at me.

Then, we clinked our beer bottles together, and took a drink.


	36. Chapter 36

(Two Weeks Later)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters Gym)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"OW!" Marty said. "What did I say about hitting?!"

"What did I say about stepping on my _feet_?!" Kensi countered.

Sam and I were in the gym watching Hetty teach Marty and Kensi how to Waltz together.

Again.

It was suppose to help them work better together.

"This is entertaining." Sam said, a smile on his face.

"I couldn't agree more." I said, smiling also.

"How can you two work together, when you can't even _dance_ together?" Hetty asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with him _stepping_ on my feet." Kensi said, glaring at Marty.

"Well, at least he's not falling on you because his shoes were too big." I said.

Marty looked at me wide eyed.

"That sounds interesting." Kensi said.

"Emily, you promised." Marty reminded me.

"That's true." I said. "I did promise."

Kensi looked disappointed.

"But Hetty didn't." I said.

"Ooo!" Kensi said excitedly, looking at Hetty.

"What? No. Hetty, please, no." Marty begged.

Hetty just smiled a little at him.

"Mr. Deeks and Miss Taylor just had their first fight." Hetty began.

Marty groaned.

"What was the fight about?" Kensi asked.

"Marty lied to me." I said. "Then I confronted him about it."

"And it kinda escalated from there." Marty said. "We said a lot of mean things to each other."

I nodded.

"How did you make up?" Sam asked.

"Hetty's meddling." I said, looking at her.

Hetty smiled more.

"They haven't spoken to each other for a week, when I intervened." Hetty said. "And when I did, I signed Mr. Deeks and Miss Taylor up for Ballet and Waltz classes."

Sam and Kensi began laughing.

"Thanks, Hetty." Marty said, clearly embarrassed.

"There is nothing wrong with boys or men taking Ballet classes, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.

"I was the ONLY boy in that class." Marty said.

"Anyway," I said. "In both classes, Marty and I were partners and in the Waltz class, Marty's shoes were too big for his feet."

"And every couple seconds, Mr. Deeks fell on Miss Taylor because of that." Hetty said, laughing a little.

Kensi and Sam laughed again.

"It was Hetty's way of telling us that nothing in life is easy." Marty said, ignoring their laughter. "Despite us knowing that already."

"It was also her way of telling us that every relationship has its ups and downs." I said. "And that nothing in this world wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for the work put into it."

"And it's still true." Hetty said.

"That it is." Sam said, agreeing. Then, he looked at me. "Care to show us what you and 'twinkle toes' got?"

"Really?" Marty said, as Kensi laughed.

"You want us to dance the Waltz?" I asked.

"Yeah." Sam said. "I want to see how well you two move together."

"I haven't danced the Waltz in a long time." I said.

"Come on, Em." Marty said. "Let's show them how the Waltz _should_ be done."

I hesitated for a couple seconds.

"Fine." I said.

Marty smiled.

"This I got to see." Kensi said, as she walked over to Sam, and I walked over to Marty.

"I may be rusty." I informed him.

"Don't be modest." Marty said, as he put his hands on my hips and pulled me to him.

"I'm being serious." I said, as Marty left his right hand on my waist, and took my right hand in his left.

"Put your hand on my shoulder so we can begin." Marty said.

I sighed.

Then, I put my hand on his shoulder.

"On my count." I heard Hetty say, as Marty smiled at me. "One, two, three."

Then, music began to play, and Marty and I began to dance the Waltz.

"Wow." I heard Kensi say in amazement, after about a minute went by.

"I know why you keep stepping on Kensi's feet." I whispered to Marty. Low enough for only he could hear.

"Oh yeah?" Marty whispered.

"Yeah." I whispered.

"Do tell." Marty whispered.

"You keep stepping on her feet so that you can dance with her all over again." I whispered. "You do it because you like her, and you don't want to let her go."

"Hmm," Marty said, impressed. "Nothing gets by you."

Then, Marty pulled me close, and dipped me.

I laughed a little.

I heard Sam whistled.

I let my head fall back.

And when I did, I was Callen by the gym entrance, staring at us.

My smiled faded as surprise took over.

I tried to stand straight quickly, but ended up falling out of Marty's arms, and fell onto the floor.

"Emily! You alright?" Marty asked.

"I-I-I'm fine." I said, as I felt my face heat up.

"Good job." Sam said sarcastically to Marty, as he held his hand out to me.

I grabbed Marty's hand, and he pulled me up.

"I didn't do it on purpose." Marty said.

"Sure you didn't." Sam said.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said. "It's nice of you to join us."

"I'm actually here on Eric's behalf." Callen said. "We got a case."

Callen then looked at me for a brief moment, before he turned around and walked out of the gym.

"Let's do this." Kensi said.

Then, we all walked out of the gym.

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"Bonjour mon amis!" Eric said happily, as Sam, Kensi, Marty and I entered OPS. Joining him, Nell, and Callen. "Common ca va, aujourd'hui?"

"Fine." Sam said. "But if you keep speaking French, I'm gonna knock you one."

"English it is, then!" Eric said.

I looked at Callen, who was standing by Nell, to see he was looking at me.

I looked away, biting my bottom lip.

Ever since Callen and I almost kissed, we have been sharing….glances.

Normally I find him staring at me, but sometimes he catches me staring at him.

And whenever we're together, we don't bring up the almost kiss.

He hasn't tried to kiss me again, and I haven't tried to kiss him either.

Despite how much I really want to kiss him.

But I figured if he wanted to talk about it, he would bring it up.

Right?

"What you got for us?" Marty asked.

"This is Kyle Morris." Nell said, as a picture of a man showed up on the screen. "He was a Marine, until last night when a group of teens found him dead in a dumpster by a Chinese restaurant."

"Prior to this, the CIA has been investigating him on possible illegal gun exchanging." Eric said.

"Yes, they have." Said a voice.

I looked toward the voice and saw Hetty had joined us.

"Who was he illegally exchanging guns with?" Callen asked.

"Local gangs in Los Angeles." Eric said.

"That would explain a lot." Marty said.

"How so?" Kensi ask.

"I had to question a gang for a case at LAPD about a month ago." Marty said. "And that gang had better looking guns than what they originally had."

"Do we have any footage of the murder?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, no." Nell said. "All we got for video is Kyle Morris walking out of the restaurant alone, then going into the ally, but not coming out."

"And no one went in or out of that ally until the teens that found him roughly fourteen hours later." Eric said.

"Which means the murderer knew where the cameras were." Sam said.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said. "The CIA is in the boatshed to bring you up to speed. Take Mr. Hanna and Miss Taylor with you."

"What about us?" Kensi asked.

"You and Mr. Deeks can go to the crime scene, and check out Mr. Morris' apartment." Hetty said.

"Well, you heard the woman." Marty said. "Let's go do what we do best."

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(At The Boatshed)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

Once Callen, Sam, and I arrived at the boatshed, we got out of the car, and headed inside.

Callen bumped him arm with mine.

I looked at him to see he was smiling slightly at me.

I smiled a little back at him, and bumped his arm with mine in return. My heart fluttering.

Once we were inside the boatshed, Callen looked straight ahead, and stopped walking.

I stopped walking and looked at him.

Callen looked surprised at what he saw.

And guarded.

I looked up ahead and saw Sam had stopped walking once he reached the main room of the boatshed.

I then looked at the person they were both looking at.

It was a woman.

Callen suddenly began to walk again toward the room. I followed him.

Once we were both in the room, the girl looked at Callen, and smiled softly at him.

"Callen." She said.

"Tracy." Callen said.

"It's been a while." The girl, who's name was apparently Tracy, said.

"What are you doing here?" Callen asked.

"I'm working on the same case you are." Tracy said. "Looks like we're working together again."

Feeling confused, I asked:

"Sorry, I'm lost….Who are you?"

It was silent for a moment, then, Callen said:

"Tracy, this is Special Agent Emily Taylor, NCIS….Emily, this is CIA Special Agent Tracy Rosetti….My ex-wife."


	37. Chapter 37

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I walked straight to Hetty's Office, where Hetty was sitting at her desk looking at something on her computer, and said:

"Tell me you didn't know the CIA Agent working on this case."

Hetty looked up at me.

"Tell me you didn't know Special Agent Tracy Rosetti was the CIA Agent on this case." I said.

"Mr. Callen, I didn't know who the CIA sent over until you just told me." Hetty said.

I sighed.

"Is there a problem?" Hetty asked.

"….Nothing I can't handle." I said more to myself than to Hetty.

Then, I left Hetty's office, and headed toward the bull pen, where I saw Sam sitting at his desk, and Emily standing at hers.

Emily.

I wish I knew what she was thinking.

I walked into the bull pen and headed toward my desk.

I felt eyes on me, as I sat down at my desk.

"You ok?" I heard Sam ask.

"Yep." I said, opening my laptop and waited for it to come to life.

"So, Tracy was your wife?" I heard Emily ask.

"Yep." I said, keeping my eyes focused on the computer screen. "She was also my partner when I was in the CIA."

"What happened?" I heard Emily ask.

"It didn't work out." I said. "And she took Buddy."

"Who's Buddy?" I heard Emily ask.

"His dog." I heard Sam answer.

"I really loved that dog." I said, feeling sad.

Just then, I heard a phone ring, followed by Sam's voice:

"Sam Hanna."

It was silent for a couple seconds, then I heard Sam say:

"Thanks, Kensi."

I looked over at Sam as he hung up his phone.

"Kensi and Deeks arrested two people and are bringing them to the boatshed." Sam said.

"Let's go meet them." I said.

Then, I stood up, and the three of us left.

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Once Sam, Emily, and I entered the Boatshed, I saw Tracy standing in the main room.

My guard went up once again.

"Agent Blye and Detective Deeks are in an interrogation room with one of the suspects." Tracy said. "The other suspect is in another room."

"Let's go, Sam." I said, heading toward the interrogation room where I was sure the other suspect was.

"Not so fast, Callen." I heard Tracy say.

I looked at her.

"I am going in there with you." Tracy said.

"You're not the lead in this investigation." I said.

"For the CIA I am." Tracy said.

I was about to protest, when Emily suddenly said:

"Callen you're not going to win, so, just shut up and go in with her."

I looked at Emily surprised.

"Trust me." Emily said.

"She's right, G." Sam said.

I sighed.

I then looked at Tracy.

"Whatever." I said.

Then, I headed toward the interrogation room.

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(Emily's P.O.V.)

Sam and I were watching the two interrogation's going on in each interrogation room.

On the left side of the T.V. screen, it showed Kensi and Marty interrogating their suspect, and on the right, it showed Callen and Tracy interrogating their suspect.

Sam and I both sighed at the same time.

I looked at him.

"Why did you sigh?" I asked him.

"Why did you sigh?" Sam asked, looking at me.

"I asked you first." I said.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then Sam said:

"I'm worried about G., and how he's doing with Tracy being here."

"Me too. " I said. "…..What happened between them?"

"Tracy and G. were on a mission, when they got into a gun fight and became out numbered." Sam said. "Callen got out of the building, but didn't see Tracy. So, he went back in to get her, only to find out she wasn't there."

"Where did she go?" I asked.

"Callen went to their safe house." He said. "He found her there drinking a cup of coffee without a care in the world."

"She wasn't worried about him?" I asked.

"Nope." Sam said.

"She didn't wonder where he was?" I asked in disbelief.

"Not even a little." Sam said.

How could someone do that?

If a situation like that happened to me, I would be worried, and wondered where my partner was.

For work or relationship.

"She's the reason for the rule." Sam said.

"What rule?" I asked.

"G. has a rule about dating." Sam said. "The rule is, he doesn't date a girl who owns her own handcuffs."

"In other words, he doesn't go out with girl cops." I said, feeling sad.

Sam nodded.

I looked at Tracy on the T.V. screen.

All because of her, I had no chance with Callen.

Just my luck, I thought, as I began to feel even more sad.

Suddenly, Eric popped up on the T.V. screen.

"Hey, guys," Eric said.

"What's up, Eric?" Sam asked.

"I'm sending the address of Kyle Morris' girlfriend's apartment to your phones." Eric said.

"Thanks, Eric." Sam said. Then he looked at me. "Let's go check it out."

Then, Sam and I left the boatshed.

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(Callen's P.O.V.)

I walked out of the interrogation room, and headed toward the main room of the boatshed.

When I entered the room, I noticed Sam and Emily were gone.

"Callen," I heard Tracy say behind me. "Can we please talk?"

I turned around and faced her.

"I have nothing to say." I said.

"Then hear me out." She said.

It was silent for a moment, then Tracy said:

"I miss you."

"Not my problem." I said.

"You don't miss me?" She asked.

"I used to." I said honestly. "…..But I don't anymore."

"So, you don't miss you and me together?" Tracy asked, as she walked up to me. "At the beach….with that dog of yours."

"Buddy." I said.

"Together…like a family." She said.

Tracy put her arms around my waist.

"Don't you miss it?" She asked.

I looked into her eyes for a couple seconds.

And the only thing I thought was, she's not Emily.

"I miss the memories." I said. "I miss Buddy. But I don't miss you."

I removed her arms from my waist.

"I moved on, Tracy." I said. "You should, too."

Tracy studied me for a moment, then she asked:

"Does she know?"

"Does who know?" I asked.

"Agent Taylor…Does she know how you feel?" Tracy asked.

"How-" I began surprised.

"The way you look at her." She answered, cutting me off. "You used to look at me the same way."

I looked away from her.

"So, she doesn't know." I heard Tracy say.

"Stop interrogating me." I snapped at her.

"I can help you forget her, if you want." Tracy said.

"Stop it, Tracy." I said. "I meant it."

Just then, I heard Kensi and Deeks come into the room.

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(Two Day's Later)

(In the Boatshed)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

Callen has been avoiding me and Sam.

And the only reason I could think of, was because of Tracy.

I walked into the boatshed, and saw Tracy standing in the main room watching something on the T.V. screen.

I walked over to her, and saw she was watching Sam and Callen interrogating our newest suspect.

I looked at her.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked.

Tracy looked at me.

"Ok." She said.

"Don't say anything." I said. "Just listen."

Tracy gave me a nod.

"I know I don't know everything that happened between you and Callen." I began. "But I do know you broke his heart. More than you know. And….He doesn't need that kind of hurt again….You're the whole reason why he has that 'don't date a girl with her own handcuffs' rule…You're also one of the many reasons why he doesn't trust easily, and keeps his heart guarded…So, when this case is over, when you leave…..Leave for good."

It was silent for a about a minute, then Tracy asked:

"How do you think he would feel, if he found out what you just said to me?"

"Let him find out." I said. " I don't care. I'm just looking out for him."

Even if I don't have a chance with him, I thought.

"Even if that means he finds out about this, and ends up hating you?" She asked.

"….Yeah." I said. "Even if it means that."

Tracy nodded.

Then, She looked back at the T.V. screen.


	38. Chapter 38

(A Couple Hours Later)

(In the Boatshed)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Case closed." I said to Sam and Tracy.

We just got our suspect to confess to the murder along with a gun to help us prove he did it.

"I'm impressed." Tracy said.

"Guess this means you're leaving now?" I asked hopefully.

"That I am." Tracy said.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then Sam said:

"I'll be in the car, G."

"Ok." I said. "Be out in a minute."

Sam nodded.

Then, Sam left the boatshed.

Once Sam was gone, I looked at Tracy.

"Last offer," She said. "Let's get out of here, and sail towards the sunset."

I smiled little.

"Thanks, but, no thanks." I said.

"Very well." Tracy said. "Guess I'll see you around?"

"Maybe." I said. "But probably not."

Tracy nodded.

I began to walk toward the door to leave.

"Callen," I heard Tracy say.

I turned and looked at her.

"Go for it." She said.

When I looked at her confused, she added:

"You will know what I mean eventually."

Still feeling confused, I nodded.

Then, I turned back around, and left.

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(Later)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

Sam and I were in the bull pen about to leave to meet up with Kensi, Deeks, Eric, and Emily when Nell came into the bull pen, and looked at me.

"There's something I think you should see." Nell said.

Sam and I looked at each other.

"Ok." I said, looking back at Nell.

Sam and I began to head to the stairs.

"Just Callen." Nell said.

I looked at Sam again, and saw he was mirroring my surprise.

"Ok." Sam said, as we looked back at Nell. "See you two at the bar."

I nodded.

Then, Sam walked out of the bull pen, and left.

"If you could follow me up to OPS, that would be great." Nell said.

Nell then headed toward the stairs. I followed her.

When I entered OPS, I noticed Nell and I were the only ones in the room.

Nell walked over to her computer and sat down.

"I know this is none of my business," Nell began, as she typed away at her computer. "But I stumbled upon it, and thought maybe you would like to see it."

Suddenly, a video popped up on the big screen in front of me.

I instantly recognized the person and where the video was taken.

It was Tracy.

She was in the boatshed.

Then, suddenly, the video began to play.

As the camera showed Tracy, I heard footsteps walking toward her.

Suddenly, Emily joined Tracy on the screen.

Emily looked at what Tracy was looking at, then she looked at Tracy.

_"Can I talk to you?"_ Emily asked her.

Tracy looked at Emily.

_"Ok."_ Tracy said.

_"Don't say anything."_ Emily said. _"Just listen."_

Tracy gave her a nod.

_"I know I don't know everything that happened between you and Callen."_ Emily began. _"But I do know you broke his heart. More than you know. And….He doesn't need that kind of hurt again….You're the whole reason why he has that 'don't date a girl with her own handcuffs' rule…You're also one of the many reasons why he doesn't trust easily, and keeps his heart guarded…So, when this case is over, when you leave…..Leave for good."_

Then, it was silent between them.

She knows about the rule, I thought, How…..

Sam.

He must have told her.

Suddenly, Tracy asked:

_"How do you think he would feel, if he found out what you just said to me?"_

_"Let him find out."_ Emily said. _"I don't care. I'm just looking out for him."_

_"Even if that means he finds out about this, and ends up hating you?"_ Tracy asked.

_"…Yeah."_ Emily said. _"Even if it means that."_

Suddenly, the video stopped playing.

I couldn't believe she did that.

Not in the angry sense, but in the surprise sense.

Emily cared about me enough to say that to Tracy.

I smiled a little.

"I just thought you may have wanted to see that." I heard Nell say.

"I did." I said. Then, I looked at Nell. "Thank you, Nell."

Nell smiled a little at me.

"Now, if you're ready, let's meet up with the others." I said. "There's someone I want to see."

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(At the Bar)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sipping my beer and watching Sam, Kensi, Marty, and Eric play pool.

Sam and Kensi against Marty and Eric.

And Sam and Kensi were wiping the floor with Marty and Eric.

They were currently on their fourth game,and Sam and Kensi has won the past three.

A couple minutes after their fourth game started, Nell joined them and became referee.

"Is this seat taken?" I heard a voice ask.

I looked toward the voice, and saw Callen.

"It could be." I said.

Callen smiled a little.

"Can I be that person?" He asked.

"Only if you're daring." I said.

Callen smiled more, and sat down beside me.

"What took you so long?" I asked. "I've been waiting for you."

"You were waiting for me?" Callen asked.

"Yeah." I said, setting down my beer. "I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" He asked, looking at me with curiosity, as I stood up.

"Yeah." I said. "But you're going to have to come with me in order to get it."

"Do you think they will mind?" Callen asked.

I looked over at our friends, who were clearly having a great time.

"I don't even think they will notice if we were gone." I said.

Then, I looked back at him.

"Follow me?" I asked.

"Any time." Callen said, smiling.

I smiled back at him.

Then, I headed toward the exit. Callen following close behind me.

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(In Emily's Car)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"Where are you taking me?" Callen asked, as I took another turn.

"I told you." I said. "It's a surprise."

"Is it a surprise I will like?" He asked.

"I hope so." I said.

I took two more turns before I pulled into a parking lot of my destination.

I parked the car, and got out.

Callen got out of the car also. Looking at the building.

"Where are we?" Callen asked, as we began to walk toward the door.

I smiled at him.

"Come inside and find out." I said.

Callen smiled at me.

I opened the door, and walked inside. Callen following.

As soon as we entered, I saw all the homeless animals in there cages.

"What is this?" I heard Callen ask.

I looked at him.

"This is an animal shelter." I said.

Callen looked at me.

"When you talked about Buddy, I could tell how much he meant to you." I said. "And, I know this won't bring him back, but-"

Suddenly, Callen hugged me.

I laughed a little, and hugged him back.

"This is the best surprise I ever gotten." I heard Callen say. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I said. Glad that he liked the surprise.

A couple seconds went by, then Callen and I pulled away.

"Let's go pick out your dog." I said. "Or cat. "

Callen chuckled.

"Let's." He said.


	39. Chapter 39

(One Month Later)

(At Callen's House)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Here you go, Molly." I said, setting down her water bowl.

Molly was my dog. She was a three year old golden retriever.

I picked her out with Emily that night she drove me to the animal shelter.

And I have to say, having her in the house, made me feel less lonely.

"I got to go to work." I said to her. "I'll come by to check on you. Be a good girl while I'm gone."

Molly licked my face in response.

I chuckled and petted her.

Then, I stood up, and headed toward the door just as I heard a car horn.

"Yes, Sam, I'm coming!" I said, as I picked up my bag.

Then, I opened the door, seeing the black challenger in the driveway.

I then walked outside. Closing and locking the door behind me.

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(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sitting at my desk doing some paper work.

I was the first one in the bull pen today. Due to the fact I had another nightmare, and, once again, didn't go back to sleep. Like always.

As I was working on paper work, I heard a voice say:

"Miss Taylor,"

I looked up and saw Hetty and another person standing beside her.

"I would like you to meet Nate Getz." Hetty said, gesturing toward the man beside her. "He is our team psychologist who drops in from time to time. Nate, this is Special Agent Emily Taylor."

"Hi, Emily." Nate said, holding his hand out to me. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Hi." I said, taking his hand and shaking it. "I've heard a lot about you, too."

"I'll let you two get to know each other a little more." Hetty said, as our hands pulled apart.

Then, Hetty left the bull pen.

Nate smiled at me.

I smiled back at him.

Then, Nate walked over to Marty's desk, and sat down in Marty's chair.

"So, Emily," Nate began. "Tell me about yourself."

"You're not shrinking me….Are you?" I asked.

"I wasn't." He said. "Though, you do look tired….You didn't sleep well last night."

I suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" Nate asked. "What was it about?"

"Uh, well, this was, uh, 'fun'." I began. "But I think, uh, I'm just….yeah."

I then got up, and began to walk away.

"Emily, wait!" I heard Nate call after me. "Emily!"

I then felt a hand gently grab my elbow.

I turned around and faced him.

"I'm sorry." Nate said. "I didn't mean to go all….._Shrinky_ on you. It just happens sometimes…..Can we try again?"

"…..Ok." I said.

Nate and I began to walk back to the bull pen, when my phone began to ring.

I took my phone out and answered it.

"Taylor." I said.

"Ah, Agent Taylor." Said a voice on the other side of the phone.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

I could feel the blood drain from my face.

I knew this voice. This voice haunted me.

"It's so nice to hear your voice again." The person said.

I'm dreaming, I thought, That's it. I'm having another nightmare.

"What?" The person asked. "Speechless? I find that hard to believe."

"You're in jail." I said, staying calm.

"Oh my dear former Detective," the person said. "You and I both know Katerina told you the truth about me. Unlike your boss. Hetty, right?"

I looked over at Hetty and saw she was at her desk doing paper work. Minding her own business.

I then looked over at Nate, who resumed his place at Marty's desk, and saw he was looking at me with concern.

I looked away from him.

"What do you want, Stavoski?" I asked, as I headed toward the gym for privacy.

"You." Stavoski said.

"Then come and get me." I said.

"Oh, don't worry Agent Taylor." Stavoski said. "I will get you. In fact, you will be coming to me…But for now, I want to play a game. And you're going to play too."

"Forget it." I said, as I entered the gym. "I'm not playing anymore of your games."

"Not even if someone you care about life's at stake?" He asked.

"You got nothing." I said, calling his bluff.

"Right now, I'm watching Detective Martin Deeks do his normal morning run." Stavoski said. "One call, one word, and my sniper will take him out."

"You're lying." I said. "Katerina said you wouldn't hurt him."

"I think I changed my mind." Stavoski said.

"Do ANYTHING to him, and I swear I will kill you in the most painful way possible." I said. "That's a promise."

Stavoski laughed.

"There's the former Detective I know." Stavoski said, amused. "Tell you what? I'll leave Detective Deeks alone, and spare his life, if you do one thing for me."

"What? " I asked.

"Play my game." He said.

"Fine." I said, without hesitation. "I'll you're your game."

"That's the spirit!" Stavoski said. "Now, this game is going to be different than the one we played last time."

A shiver went down my spine.

"Instead of kidnapping you, I'll let you play the field." Stavoski said. "Your goal is to figure out who I'm going to kidnap next with the clue I provide for you. If you fail to get to the person before I do, you lose…..Understand?"

"Understood." I said.

"Good. Now here's the clue," Stavoski said. "Their closer to you than you know. And you gave the person something, someone else took away."

"You're not going to tell me if it's a he or she?" I asked.

"That would ruin the fun." Stavoski said. "You have forty-eight hours…Good luck, Agent Taylor."

Then the line went dead.

I hung up the phone. Anger coursing through me.

Hetty lied to me.

She lied about Stavoski being in jail.

And now, I have forty-eight hours to figure out from the clue he gave me who he plans on kidnapping, and save him or her, before he does.

I stormed out of the gym, and headed toward Hetty's Office.

When I got to Hetty's Office, I said angrily:

"You lied to me."

Hetty looked up at me.

"About what, Miss Taylor?" Hetty asked.

"Stavoski." I said. "He's out of jail. Just like what Katerina said."

Hetty looked at me shocked.

"How did you find out?" She asked.

"Why did you lie to me?" I asked.

"Miss Taylor," Hetty began.

"WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME?!" I shouted angrily at her.

It was silent, as Hetty and I stared at each other.

"I didn't tell you, because I wanted to protect you." Hetty said.

"Who else knows?" I asked.

"Marty." She said.

I laughed a little in disbelief.

Marty knew, and didn't tell me.

"Is that why Nate is here?" I asked.

"Yes." Hetty said nodding.

"Great." I said. "Fantastic."

"Emily," Hetty began.

"Don't." I said. "Just don't."

I then left her office and headed toward the exit of the building.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

Sam and I walked into the NCIS building and headed toward the bull pen.

As we approached it, I saw Kensi, Deeks, Eric, Nell, and Nate in the bull pen.

"Nate!" I said, as we entered.

"Callen." Nate said. "Sam."

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"Visiting." Nate said, as I looked at everyone else.

They all looked worried. Especially Deeks.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Everyone up to OPS." I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned around and saw Hetty.

"Now." Hetty said.

I looked at Sam and he looked at me, as everyone headed toward the stairs.

"Thoughts?" I asked him.

"Something serious." Sam said.

"I agree." I said.

Sam and I sat down our bags down, and headed toward the stairs up to OPS.

Once Sam and I joined Hetty, Nate, Nell, Eric, Kensi, and Deeks in OPS, Hetty said:

"Something very serious has developed. And it involves one of our own."

I looked at everyone in the room, and realized who was missing.

"If you don't know who I'm talking about," Hetty began. "It's Miss Taylor."

Hetty then gave a nod to Nell.

"Mr. Deeks." Hetty said, as a picture of a man came up on the screen.

Deeks nodded, and walked to the front of the room and faced us.

"This guy behind me, is Misha Stavoski." Deeks said. "We met his niece a while ago. I'm pretty sure you remember her."

Then, a picture of Katerina Caviccio showed up beside Misha Stavoski.

"The last case Emily and I worked on together at LAPD, involved Stavoski." Deeks said. "When we got handed the case, there had been eight individual victims. Each victim was kidnapped by Stavoski, and was found dead, and tied up in an abandoned building with five dead bodies with them. Each one murdered by Stavoski."

"So, he's a serial killer?" Kensi asked.

Deeks nodded.

"Emily and Stavoski have a past." Nate said. "And not just because she was working on those cases, either."

"What happened?" I asked.

Deeks took a deep breath.

"One night, everything was normal." Deeks said. "We were at her apartment watching movies like we always do on a Sunday night. I eventually went home. And the next morning I walked into LAPD expecting to see Emily at her desk, but she wasn't there….I just thought she was running late. It wouldn't have been the first time…..But as minutes turned into two hours, I began to get worried. I called her cell phone but it was off…So, I went to her apartment, and found it completely trashed, along with blood on the floor."

"Mr. Deeks immediately called the police, and me." Hetty said. "And a couple hours later, we received a call from Stavoski, telling us he had Miss Taylor, and that was all."

Deeks nodded, clearly remembering well.

"Do you know why he chose Emily?" Sam asked.

"Every victim before her was female." Nate said. "Each one had the same hair color. More than likely Stavoski saw Emily and those other girls as a reminder of someone he used to know."

"How did you get her back?" Kensi asked.

"I got her back." Deeks said. "No thanks to LAPD."

"What do you mean?" Eric asked.

"Well, I was the one in charge of getting Emily back." Deeks said. "And it was no secret that almost everyone at LAPD hated me."

"So, they didn't help you?" Nell asked.

"They helped to a point." Deeks said. "However, the people who ACTUALLY liked me, continued to help me look for Emily….After a week of looking for her, I was called into Captain Spears Office. He was the boss of Lieutenant Bates, who is my boss….Basically, Captain Spears told me that it's been a week since Emily has been missing, and more than likely she was already dead….He told me to stop looking for her, and focus on other cases."

When Deeks said that, I couldn't believe it.

"I was pissed he said that to me." Deeks said. "And I told him to go to hell, and that I wasn't going to stop looking for Emily until I found her. I was almost to the door when he said: "If you walk out of this room, don't even think about coming back"….So, I walked back to his desk, sat my badge and gun on his desk, and left."

Hearing that Deeks gave up his career in order to find Emily, only let me know that they had a deep, and unbreakable bond.

Just like me and Sam.

"When I left LAPD, I called Hetty, and we created our own search for Emily." Deeks said. "Which involved Gibbs and Tony…It wasn't until a week later Stavoski slipped. Tony and I spotted him at a grocery store and followed him to an abandoned building. Once Hetty and Gibbs and a couple other people showed up, we went inside the building, and apprehended Stavoski. We then searched the building. Each one of us took a level. I ended up taking the basement."

Deeks paused, and looked away from us.

"I found her." Deeks said. "In the basement…..with five other bodies." Deeks then looked up at us. "Without a doubt in my mind, I knew that if we didn't find her that day, she would have been dead….When she saw me, she…She looked so scared, yet so relieved to see me…..And when she hugged me….She didn't let go."

Deeks paused again, blinking his eyes.

"What happened after that?" Kensi asked softly and gently.

Deeks was silent for a couple more seconds, then, he said:

"We tried to get Emily to talk to us about what happened from when I left her apartment up to when we found her, but she wouldn't talk about it….She still doesn't talk about it." Deeks said. "Hetty got my job back, along with getting Captain Spears fired…..That was also the same day Emily resigned from LAPD…..She said she couldn't stay here and….She had to be somewhere else."

"So, Stavoski was the ultimate reason why she left?" Nate asked.

Deeks nodded.

"What happened to Stavoski?" I asked.

"He was sentenced to live the rest of his days in a federal prison." Hetty said.

"I feel a 'but' coming on." Sam said.

"However," Hetty began.

"Close enough." Sam said.

"Stavoski escaped prison, three years ago, with the help of his niece." Hetty said. "And Miss Taylor found out I lied to her today about him being behind bars."

"Why did you lie?" I asked.

"I was protecting her, Mr. Callen." Hetty said. "Surely, you would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes."

I couldn't argue with her there. I would have done the same thing.

"Where's Emily now?" Sam asked.

"She turned off her cell phone." Eric said.

"But Hetty said that is a normal response from her whenever she gets angry at either her or Deeks." Nell added quickly, looking directly at me.

I silently thanked her.

"So, you don't know where she is?" Kensi asked.

Eric and Nell shook their heads.

"We should find her soon." Nate said. "Because if I'm right,  
Stavoski is a perfectionist. He finishes one thing before he goes on to the next. And since Emily's alive, and if he knows she is, he's probably in Los Angeles right now looking her."

"Do you know where she would go?" Sam asked Deeks.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Deeks said.

"She's your best friend." I said, anger clear in my voice. "How do you NOT know where she is?!"

"G.," Sam began.

"How do you not know?" I asked Deeks. Ignoring Sam.

"Because whenever Emily got pissed off I could NEVER find her." Deeks snapped angrily at me. "She could be on a plane to D.C. right now, and I wouldn't know it!"

"She's not." I heard Eric say.

Deeks and I both looked at him.

"I checked the security cameras at the airports." Eric explained. "She's not flying anywhere."

"Well, that rules out D.C." Kensi said, as I felt eyes on me.

I looked at Nate and saw he was looking at me.

He had that: "I think I know something about you others don't" look on his face.

Great, I thought, He knows.

"How about instead of talking, we all go look for Miss Taylor." Hetty said, as I looked away from Nate and looked at her. "Mr. Beale and Miss Jones will be our eyes over the city and will let us know if Miss Taylor puts her phone back on, or is she appears on any of the cameras."

I looked at Deeks just in time to see him look at me.

Then, Deeks headed toward the door.

I followed him, as Sam, Kensi, and Nate followed the both of us.


	40. Chapter 40

(At Callen's House)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was in Callen's house, sitting on the living room floor with Molly.

When I left the NCIS building, I needed to go someplace quiet to think and calm down.

Normally, I went to the pier and looked out at the water.

But today, it felt right to go to Callen's house.

Despite the lack of furniture and food.

But still, it was a quiet place to be.

I lied down on the floor, and once again tried to figure out who Stavoski was planning on kidnapping.

_"Their closer to you than you know. And you gave the person something, someone else took away."_

"It's obviously someone I know." I said out loud. "…..But who?"

I looked at Molly.

Molly just stared at me.

"It's not Marty." I said. "That would be too obvious….Right?"

Molly tilted her head to the side.

"Let's rule out people I know I didn't give something to recently." I said. "I can rule out Nate because I just met him today…I haven't given anything to Hetty since her birthday….I haven't given anything to Kensi recently, or Eric….."

I sighed.

"I don't know who I'm looking for, Molly." I said honestly. "And I have less than forty-eight hours to find him or her before someone takes them."

I petted Molly as I continued to think.

Maybe I'm over thinking it, I thought.

Suddenly, the door to the house opened.

I sat up quick, and grabbed my gun that was setting beside me, and aimed it at the door.

I then noticed who it was.

It was Callen.

"Whoa!" Callen said, spotting me. Putting his hands up.

Then, a small smile came to his face.

"You're not going to hurt me with that, are you?" He asked.

I lowered my gun.

"You know me so well." I said.

Callen smiled more, as he closed the door, and I sat my gun back down beside me.

"We've been looking for you." Callen said, as he walked over to me.

"Ever thought maybe I don't want to be found?" I asked, as Callen sat down beside me.

"It crossed my mind." He said.

"What made you look here?" I asked.

"I actually came here to check on Molly." Callen said. "Coming home to you was just an added bonus."

"Coming home to me?" I asked. "Do you think about coming home to me a lot?"

"What if I do?" Callen asked. "…..Would that be weird?"

"No." I said, shaking my head a little. "I think it's sweet."

"You do?" He asked.

"I do." I said.

Callen looked at my lips. Subconsciously licking his own lips when he did.

"Do you think about coming home to me?" He asked, looking back into my eyes.

"What if I do?" I asked. "…Would that be weird?"

"No." Callen said.

Then, Callen leaned in.

I leaned in too.

Suddenly, Callen's phone began to ring.

I looked down, biting my bottom lip.

I heard Callen sigh.

"Callen," I heard Callen say. "Yeah, I just found her actually…We're going back now….Bye, Sam."

I looked up at him as he hung up his phone.

"Ready to go back?" Callen asked, as he looked at me.

"I have to eventually." I said, sad that I didn't get to feel his lips on mine.

Callen nodded.

Then, he got up, and offered his hand to me.

I took it, and he pulled me up.

We looked at each other for a couple seconds.

"…..We have to go." Callen said. "They're waiting for us."

"….Right." I said.

A couple more seconds went by, then Callen let go of my hand.

"Shall we?" He asked, heading toward the door.

I picked up my gun, and put it away, as I followed Callen out of the house.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"So, you're saying Stavoski plans on kidnapping someone in less than thirty-six hours?" Sam asked.

When Emily and I got back to the NCIS building, we joined Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Eric, Nell, Nate, and Hetty in the bull pen.

And when we did, Emily told us Stavoski called her and said he planned on kidnapping someone close to her.

"Yes." Emily said.

"Do you know who?" Kensi asked.

"All I know is the clue he gave me." Emily said.

"What was the clue?" Deeks asked.

"He said the person is closer to me than I know, and I gave the person something, someone else took away." Emily said. "But he wasn't gender specific."

"This is his way of getting to you." Nate said. "Of taking control. He's keeping you on your toes, and thinks taking someone close to you will get your attention."

"If only I knew who he was going after….." Emily said.

"Whoever Stavoski plans to kidnap, we should all be prepared." Hetty said. "It could be any one of us."

"Wouldn't Stavoski be targeting Deeks?" Eric asked.

"Thanks, Eric." Deeks said.

"I'm not being mean." Eric said. "It's just, you're _closer_ to Emily than any of us are."

"Eric has a point." Nate said. "Deeks would be in the most danger."

"But wouldn't Deeks be the _obvious_ choice?" Nell asked. "What if he's expecting her to assume it's Deeks he's talking about?"

"But what if he _wants_ her to think it's not Deeks?" Kensi asked. "Then she wouldn't be on guard for if it ACTUALLY is Deeks he's planning to take."

"Let's assume for a moment Stavoski is NOT talking about Deeks." Deeks said. "Who else could he be talking about?"

"Well, the second person closes to me would be Hetty." Emily said. "But I don't think hes talking about her."

"So, we're back to Deeks." I said looking at him.

"We can't forget the second part of the clue." Nate said. Then, Nate looked at Emily. "Have you given anything to anyone recently?"

"Well," Emily began. "Two days ago Kensi took Marty's doughnut and I replaced it before he got back."

"I KNEW you did something!" Deeks said, looking at Kensi.

"Oh, like you haven't done it to me?" Kensi asked.

"I do it to HELP you." Deeks said.

"Oh, really?" Kensi asked. "And, what, exactly, do you 'help' me with?"

"…..So, I'm more than likely the target?" Deeks asked Nate, changing the subject.

"Well, if Stavoski meant the doughnut Emily replaced a couple days ago as the thing she 'gave', then, yes." Nate said.

"Seems too easy." Sam said.

"I agree." I said. "Having Stavoski mean Deeks seems too obvious….We must be missing something."

It was silent for a moment as we all began to think.

"Regardless if it is Mr. Deeks or not, we should all be on guard for whatever happens." Hetty said, breaking the silence.

"I agree." Emily said.

"Mr. Beale, Miss Jones, go back u to OPS and keep searching for any kind of sign of Stavoski and Katerina." Hetty said.

"On it." Nell said.

Then, Nell and Eric left the bull pen.

"Callen, can I talk to you for a moment?" Nate asked.

I nodded.

Then, Nate and I walked into the mini kitchen. A good distance away from the bull pen.

"Are you ok?" Nate asked.

"Yeah." I said. "Why?"

"Well, I couldn't help but notice earlier the way you acted toward Deeks because he didn't know where Emily could be." He said.

"What are you getting at, Nate?" I asked.

"I'm not 'getting at' anything." Nate said. "I just want to know one thing."

I gestured for him to continue.

"Do you have feeling for Agent Taylor?" Nate asked.

"Do YOU have feelings for Agent Taylor?" I asked back.

"No." He said.

"How's Rose?" I asked. "I haven't talked to her in a while."

"She's good." Nate said. "We're going to have dinner tonight."

"That's great." I said. "Keep up the good work."

I then began to walk away.

"Damn it." I heard Nate say.

I smiled as I reached Sam.

"He asked about Emily, didn't he?" Sam whispered to me.

"Yeah." I whispered back.

"And you turned it around on him?" Sam whispered.

"Worked like a charm." I whispered.

Sam laughed.


	41. Chapter 41

(Later)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was sitting at my desk, thinking.

Everyone, with the exception of Nell and Eric, had already gone home.

Eric and Nell had stayed to keeping looking for any sign of Stavoski or Katerina.

So far, nothing has come up.

I don't know how much time when went by, when I heard a voice say:

"Knock, knock."

I looked toward the voice and saw Nate.

"Nate." I said surprised. "I thought everyone went home?"

"I was halfway home when I realized I forgot something." He said. "Why are you still here?"

"I'm not sure." I said. "I just feel like I should be here."

Nate walked over to Sam's desk, and sat down in Sam's chair.

A couple seconds went by, then Nate said:

"We're going to find Stavoski and Katerina….I know it."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Because Callen, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, and you are the best agents on this case." He said. "And Eric and Nell are the best at what they do, too."

"I hope you're right." I said.

"I am right." Nate said. "And you know I am."

It was silent again for a couple seconds, then Nate said:

"Let's talk about something else….Tell me what's been going on since I've been gone? I haven't been brought up to speed."

"Well, besides this? Not much." I said. "I joined the team…..we did cases."

"How did everyone react to you joining the team?" Nate asked.

"Everyone was fine with it." I said. "Expect Callen. He didn't like or trust me at first."

"I see." He said. "What made him like and trust you?"

"He realized I wasn't who he thought I was." I said.

Nate nodded.

"He asked us to start over." I said. "…I'm glad I took his offer."

Nate smiled a little.

"Are you and Callen close?" Nate asked.

"I guess." I said. "I haven't really thought about how close we were….But now that I think about it, we are close. Not as close as he is to Sam, or I am to Marty, but…Yeah, we're pretty close."

"That's good." He said. "Callen's not close to many people."

"Neither am I." I said.

"Not to pry, but, is there anything going on between you and Callen?" Nate asked.

"What makes you think something is going on between us?" I asked.

"Well, Callen seems to be smitten whenever you're around." He said.

I laughed.

Secretly wondering if, and hoping, it was true.

"You also seem happier in his presence." Nate said.

"Did Callen tell you about Molly?" I asked, changing the subject.

"No." Nate said, clearly interested. "Who's Molly?"

"His dog." I said.

"Callen got a dog?" Nate asked.

"Yeah." I said. "He adopted her a month ago."

"How did he get Molly?" He asked.

"Well, one day Callen told me about his old dog, Buddy." I began. "And I-"

Then, I stopped talking, as I realized what I was about to say.

_"The person is closer to you than you know."_

Callen and I were close. Nate made me realize that.

_"You gave the person something, someone else took away."_

I took Callen to the animal shelter.

_"So, Tracy was your wife?" I asked._

_"Yep." Callen said, keeping his eyes on the computer screen. "She was also my partner when I was in the CIA."_

_"What happened?" I asked._

_"It diddn't work out." Callen said. "And she took Buddy."_

_"Who's Buddy?" I asked._

_"His dog." Sam answered._

Tracy took Buddy.

I gave him Molly.

"Emily?" Nate said. "You ok?"

I looked Nate straight in the eye and said:

"I know who Stavoski is going to kidnap."

I then got up, and ran toward the exit.

"Emily! Wait for me!" I heard Nate call after me.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(At Callen's House)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I pulled into the driveway of Callen's house, and immediately got out of the car and ran to the door. Nate following me.

"Callen!" I yelled, as I knocked on the door. "Callen! It's me! Open the door!"

I knocked once more, then listened for any noise.

When I heard nothing, I took my gun out, and tried the door knob.

The door was unlocked.

And Callen's door was _never_ unlocked.

I opened the door, as I pushed the worst case scenario out of my head, and went inside the house. My gun at the ready.

"Callen!" I called out, as I began searching the house.

Molly ran up to me, as I headed toward Callen's bedroom.

When I walked inside, I saw his rollout bed, and that was it.

Callen wasn't here.

No one was.

I lowered my gun and put it away, as my cell phone began to ring.

I took my phone out of my pocket and looked to see who it was.

It was Callen.

"Callen." I said, looking at Nate, who was standing in the dor way.

I answered the phone.

"Callen, thank god! " I said, relieved. "Where are you?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Agent Taylor." I heard a voice say. "But Agent Callen can't come to the phone right now."

My heart stopped.

"What did you do to him?" I asked.

"Nothing." Stavoski said. "He's just taking a nap."

"You said I had forty-eight hours." I said, getting angry.

"Did I?" Stavoski asked. "I thought I said _twenty-four_ hours?"

"Enough with the mind games!" I snapped at him. "Let Callen go! He's not the one you're after."

"If you want Agent Callen back, come and get him." Stavoski said. "You have one week. If you don't get to him before the time is up…..Well…Agent Callen will just be another one of those lives you _couldn't_ save."

Then, the line went dead.

I looked at my phone.

Stavoski had Callen.

Stavoski took Callen before I could get to him.

Stavoski is one step ahead of me.

"Emily?" I heard Nate say, as anger filled me up to the highest point.

I threw my phone as hard as I could.

It hit the wall with a hard hit, and fell onto the floor with a loud smack.


	42. Chapter 42

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was on the second floor of the building, sitting on the floor in a corner, away from everyone.

I have been sitting here since Nate and I got back from Callen's house.

How am I suppose to get Callen back? I thought, I don't even know where he is, or where to start.

How am I suppose to the guy I'm in love with back, when I don't even know that much?

In love with.

Do I love him?

"Jethro's team is on their way." I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice and saw Hetty.

"Nate told the rest of our team what happened." She said.

I looked away from her.

"You can't blame yourself for this." I heard Hetty say.

"Yes, I can." I said. "He got too close. I didn't realize it. And now, he's gone."

"You were tricked." I heard Hetty say. "It happens to everyone. Even to the best in this business."

Then, it was silent.

"I won't forgive myself if something happens to him." I said barely above a whisper.

"Nothing is going to happen to Callen." I heard Hetty say. "He will be fine. In fact, he's been in worst situations than this."

It was silent once again for a couple seconds, then Hetty said:

"I will let you know when Jethro arrives."

Then, I heard Hetty walk away.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

(A Couple Hours Later)

"Well, you're a sight for sore eyes." I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice and saw Gibbs walking over to me with a white bag, and two cups of coffee in his hands.

"Hey, Gibbs." I said, giving him a sad smile.

Gibbs sat down beside me, and handed me one of the cups of coffee.

"Thanks." I said, taking it from him.

"Hetty tells me you've been up here for a while." Gibbs said.

I was silent as I stared at my coffee cup.

"They're worried about you, Em." I heard Gibbs say.

"They should be worried about Callen." I said. "I'm fine."

"Nate said you threw your phone at the wall in an angry rage." I heard Gibbs say.

"Yeah, well, Nate looks too much into things." I said.

"That's kinda his job, Em." I heard Gibbs say.

"What's in the bag?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I figured you haven't eaten breakfast." I heard Gibbs say, holding the bag up to me.

I sat down my coffee and took the bag from him.

I then opened it.

There was a chocolate glazed doughnut inside.

"Thanks." I said. "But I'm not hungry."

I then folded the bag up, and sat it down beside my coffee.

"You're more like me than I realized." I heard Gibbs say.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, looking at him.

"Depends on who you ask." He said. "…..Callen's going to be ok. We will find him."

I nodded, hoping he was right.

"Come on," Gibbs said, as he stood up. "Let's get down there before Marty and Tony come up with something that will top the stupid idea they did _last time_ they were together too long."

I smiled a little, remembering what happened the last time Marty and Tony were together.

"It was stupid." I said, standing up. "But you have to admit, it was funny."

Gibbs smiled a little.

I picked up my coffee cup and the white paper bag, and began to walk toward the stairs.

Gibbs walked in step with me.

"Is Abby here?" I asked.

"Nope." Gibbs said. "Just Ziva, McGee, DiNozzo, and me."

I nodded.

"What are you? A psychologist?" I heard a voice ask.

Gibbs and I looked down at the bull pen, and saw Tony was talking to Nate.

"Looks like DiNozzo just met Nate." Gibbs said.

"That's not good." I said, as we walked faster to the stairs.

"What if I am? " I heard Nate ask. "Would it matter?"

"Tony doesn't like psychologist." I heard Ziva say, as Gibbs and I descended the stairs. "He thinks they're full of crap."

"They ARE full of crap." Tony said.

"Tony!" I said, as Gibbs and I headed toward them.

Tony looked at me and smiled.

"Emmy!" Tony said, as he began to walk over to me. "There you are!"

Tony then hugged me.

"I missed you!" Tony said, as I hugged him back as best as I could.

"I missed you too, Tony." I said.

Tony pulled away from me.

I looked at Ziva and McGee.

"Hey, Ziva!" I said. "Hey, McGee!"

"Hey, Emily!" McGee said, as Ziva smiled at me.

I looked back at Tony.

"Be nice to Nate." I whispered, low enough for only he could hear.

"He IS a psychologist, isn't he?" Tony whispered back.

"Be nice." I whispered.

"Emily, you know how I feel about psychologist." Tony whispered.

"He's not shrinking you." I whispered. "So, be nice to him, or I'll give him something to shrink you about. Like, fourth of July weekend, two thousand nine."

Tony narrowed his eyes at me.

"Fine." Tony whispered. "I'll be nice."

"That's all I ask." I whispered.


	43. Chapter 43

(In a Building)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I woke up with a pounding in my head.

I groaned and opened my eyes.

I was in a room.

A fairly big room, like an office.

There was three windows in the room with no glass in them.

Which meant, I was in an abandoned building.

I looked at my arms and realized I was tied to a chair. Rope around my wrist holding them to the arms of the chair and rope around my ankles holding them to the legs of the chair.

What the hell happened last night? I thought.

But as I tried to remember, my head began to hurt more.

"Headache?" I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice and saw Katerina in the door way.

She was staring at me with a smug smile on her face.

"What's it to you?" I asked. "…Where am I?"

"A room." Katerina said. "Isn't it obvious?"

"What happened?" I asked, slightly annoyed, yet not surprised by her answer.

"You may have gotten hit in the head." She said.

Well, that explains the headache.

"Why am I here?" I asked.

"To be a part of a game." I heard a voice say.

Suddenly, another person entered the room.

It was Stavoski.

"Hello, Agent G. Callen." Stavoski said, smiling a little at me. "I am-"

"Misha Stavoski." I said, cutting him off. "Yeah, I know."

This made Stavoski smile more.

"Sorry about the blow to the head." Stavoski said, coming closer to me. "But I found it best to have you unconscious when I brought you here, instead of being awake and trying to kill me."

I stayed silent.

"But, like I said," Stavoski said. "You're here because of a game."

"And what kind of game is that?" I asked.

"A game, where your life is in the hands of Agent Emily Taylor." Stavoski said.

I was silent as he continued:

"You see, Agent Callen, Agent Taylor has exactly one week to find you…And, well, if she fails to do so…I'll have no choice but to kill you."

"She will find me." I said confidently.

"Thee has so much faith." Stavoski said. "Too bad you will be dead anyway."

"And there you're your problem." I said. "You're underestimating her."

"And that's where you're wrong." Stavoski said. "I know Agent Taylor IS going to find you. And when she does, I know she will give herself upyou're your freedom, which I will agree to…..But, unfortunately, that will not change your fate."

"So, even if Emily finds me in time, you're going to kill me anyway." I said.

Not a question.

A statement.

"Actually, Sebastian will do the honors." Stavoski said. "But, yes…..And don't' worry, Agent Callen, Agent Taylor will soon follow you."

I stared at Stavoski as he smile got bigger.

"After all," Stavoski said. "No one likes loose ends…See you in a couple hours, Agent Callen."

Then, Stavoski left the room.

Katerina followed him. Closing the door behind them.

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(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"So, what exactly do we know so far?" Sam asked.

Everyone, with the exception of Hetty and Gibbs, were gathered around the table in the OPS center.

"More than likely Stavoski is keeping Callen in an abandoned building. " Nate said.

"There are several abandoned buildings in Los Angeles." Eric said.

"Callen's phone has been turned off." Nell said.

"And we can't turn it back on." McGee said.

"Which means the battery was taken out or something like that, and we can't find him with it." Marty said.

"What about the cameras?" Kensi asked.

"We're checking them, but so far, no sign of Stavoski, Katerina, or Callen." Eric said.

"So, basically, we got nothing." Tony said.

"There's got to be something we're missing." I said.

"Yeah, the building Callen's being kept hostage in." Tony said sarcastically.

"I'm NOT in the mood, Tony." I snapped, as I glared at him.

"Emily's right." Ziva said. "We're missing something."

"But what are we missing?" Kensi asked.

"Million dollar question." Marty said.

Then, it was silent.

Suddenly, I thought of something.

"Is it possible to locate where a past call came from?" I asked.

"Yeah." Eric said.

"What are you thinking, Emily?" McGee asked.

I took my phone out of my pocket and held it up.

"Stavoski called me twice yesterday." I said. "Once from an unknown number, and once from Callen's phone."

"We should be able to trace where the calls come from." Nell said, walking over to a computer. "Or at least, where the nearest cell tower is."

As Nell typed away on the keyboard, my phone log and a map of Southern California popped up on the big screen.

"Someone like's Italian food." Tony commented.

"And you don't?" I asked.

Tony just smiled playfully at me.

"I don't eat it as much as you do." Tony said.

"I don't eat it all the time." I said defensively.

"Sure you don't." Tony said. "Have you forgotten I know you, and have worked with you before? All you ate on our stake outs was Italian food and chicken parmesan."

"Which YOU ate too!" I pointed out to him.

"Because I was FORCED to!" Tony said.

"You were not _forced _to eat the food." I said. "And if I recall correctly, you CHOSE Italian food yourself when it was your turn to pick."

"How long have you two been married?" Sam asked clearly amused.

"Not as long as she's been married to Marty." Tony said.

"Very true." Marty said, in agreement.

"Ok, the first time Stavoski called was from a burnt phone." Nell said, gaining our attention.

Suddenly, the map zoomed in. Zeroing in on one tower.

"It's next to the abandoned building." Ziva said.

Then, another tower showed up.

"And that's the closes tower where the call from Callen's phone came from." Nell said.

"Which is also near an abandoned building." Sam said.

"What are the odds Callen is in one of those buildings?" Kensi asked.

"Two out of hundreds." Nate said.

"I'll take it." I said. "Sam, Kensi, Ziva, go to the building closes to where the second call came from. Marty, Tony, and I will check out the other building. McGee, stay here with Eric and Nell and give us any heads up on any of the two buildings."

"You got it." McGee said.

Then, Marty, Sam, Tony, Ziva, Kensi, and I left OPS.

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"Can I ask you a question?" I heard Tony ask from the back seat.

Marty, Tony, and I were in Marty's car heading toward the abandoned building. Marty was driving.

"Sure." I said.

"Do you like Callen?" I heard Tony ask.

"If I didn't like Callen, I wouldn't be friends with him." I said.

"Emily, you know what I mean." I heard Tony say.

"I don't see why asking that question has _anything_ to do with getting Callen back." I said, hoping I would be able to avoid answering that question, and that he would drop it.

"Marty, thoughts?" I heard Tony ask.

"I haven't thought about it before." Marty said. "But, now that you brought it up…"

I sighed.

"I wonder what Shrinky thinks about it?" I heard Tony wonder out loud.

"His name, is Nate." I said, looking at him. "And he doesn't think anything of it, because I don't like Callen that way."

"Come on, Em!" Tony said. "You know who I like, and that Marty likes Kensi."

"How do you know?" Marty asked.

"It's kinda obvious, amigo." Tony said. "Anyway, Em, if you DO like Callen, you can tell us."

"I don't like Callen." I said.

"I wonder what Gibbs will say when he finds out one of his friends and the girl he considers as a _daughter_ are hooking up?" Tony wondered out loud.

"We're NOT hooking up!" I snapped angrily at him. "We're NOT together! I DON'T like him! He DOESN'T like me! Now, shut up, and let's focus on getting Callen back!"

I then turned around and looked at the passenger side window.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then I heard Tony say:

"Em, I'm sorry. I was just joking around."

"Just…..Don't talk." I said. "Not unless you have to."

It was silent once again, until I heard Marty ask:

"You're really worried about him…Aren't you?"

"….Yeah." I said. "I am."

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It was silent as Marty pulled into the deserted driveway of the abandoned building.

Once Tony, Marty, and I were out of the car, we walked over to the entrance of the building with our weapons drawn.

"There are three entrances into the building, Emily." I heard McGee say in my ear piece. "A front entrance, a side entrance, and a back entrance."

"I'll take the front." I said to Marty and Tony.

Marty looked at Tony.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Marty asked.

"…Alright." Tony said.

"We don't have TIME for this!" I said to them.

"It will only take a second." Marty said to me. Then he looked at Tony. "Ready?"

Tony gave him a nod.

I sighed, as they hit their right fist against their left palms three times, and made either a rock, paper, or scissors with their hands.

Tony had paper. Marty had rock.

"Yes!" Tony said, happily.

"Ok, you cheated." Marty said.

"I didn't cheat." Tony said.

"You KNEW I was going to do rock." Marty said.

"It's not my fault you're sometimes more predicable than McGee." Tony said.

"I want a rematch." Marty said.

"No!" I snapped angrily at them. "I'll make it easy for you two. Deeks, back. Tony, side. And if you two keep _acting_ like children, I will shoot you both."

Tony and Marty looked at me shocked.

"Go!" I snapped at them.

"Yes, boss!" Tony said, as he Marty ran toward their destinations.

I took a deep breath, and let it out.

"Wow….You're more like Gibbs than I realized." I heard McGee say in my ear.

"Not now, McGee." I said, heading toward the front door.

"It's not a bad thing." I heard McGee say. "Especially around Tony.

"I heard that, Probie." I heard Tony say.

"Are you two ready?" I asked.

"Whenever you are, Cupcake." I heard Marty say.

"Ok." I said. "Knocking down the door in three, two, one."

I then kicked the door open, and went inside the building. My gun at the ready.

I looked around the room I walked in.

"Clear." I heard Marty say.

"Clear." I heard Tony say, as I spotted stairs.

"Clear." I said. "I'm going up to the second floor."

I then made my way over to the stairs and began to go up them.

Once I was at the top of the stairs, I noticed it was just one big open room.

I also noticed a chair sitting in the middle of the room, with a white piece of paper on the seat.

But, no Callen.

"Clear." I said, as tears came to my eyes.

I blinked them away, and made my way over to the chair. Putting my gun away as I did.

When I reached the chair, I picked up the white piece of paper and looked at it.

There was writing on it.

It read:

_Dear Agent Taylor,_

_Nice try._

_But Agent Callen is not here, nor there._

_So far, I'm winning. But who's keeping score?_

_How about I give you a hint as to where Agent Callen is? Just because I'm a 'nice' guy._

_Here's the hint: You ran in there to get away from the girl. He almost arrested you. But you got away._

_Good luck, Agent Taylor._

_Yours truly,_

_Misha Stavoski_


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: Thank you so much for the comments/reviews so far! I truly appreciate it!

I'm glad that everyone is enjoying the story. I hope everyone keeps enjoying it.

And now, here is the next chapter.

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(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

"He's confident." Nate said, as he looked over the paper I found. "He strongly believes he's got you right where he wants you."

Sam, Ziva, Tony, Gibbs, Hetty, Eric, Nell, McGee, Marty, Kensi, Nate, and I were in the bull pen.

I had read the note from Stavoski to them, and Nate took the paper to look it over.

"He's one step ahead of us." Gibbs said.

"What do we do now?" Ziva asked.

"It's simple, Miss David." Hetty said. "We figure out what the clue is about. More than likely Mr. Callen is where the clue took place."

"But I don't know what Stavoski is talking about." I said.

"Maybe it has something to do with Callen." Sam said.

"It's possible." Nate said. "It does say _'He almost arrested you'_."

"But when did Callen almost arrest Emily?" Marty asked.

"Probably when they were rolling around in the sack." Tony said.

I just stared at Tony, as I felt my face heat up.

Gibbs hit Tony pretty hard in the back of the head.

"Right. Sorry, Emily." Tony said.

"You definitely deserved that one." McGee said.

"Yeah." Tony said.

"….I'm going to go some place quiet to think." I said. "…..about the clue."

Then, I left the bull pen.

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(In a building)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

I don't know how much time went by, when the door to the room opened again.

Stavoski came into the room with a big smile on his face.

"I thought I would come by to give you an update on Agent Taylor." Stavoski said.

I stayed silent.

"What's the update, you ask?" Stavoski said. "Well, Agent Taylor along with some of her friends, including her former partner Detective Deeks found my abandoned buildings I set up for them, along with my note with the hint about exactly where you are…..Everything is going the way I designed it to go."

I remained silent and just stared at him.

"What? You're not going to talk to me?" He asked. "You're quickly becoming my number one worst entertainer I ever had….And that's saying a lot."

I remained silent.

"Very well." Stavoski said. "Let's talk about something you WILL be interested in talking about….Like, how it must feel to know you've been rejected so much in your life?"

I stayed silent.

"I mean….." Stavoski began. "You're an orphan. Bounced around from foster home to foster home. No one really caring about you at all….It must have torn you apart…..Maybe it still does…..But who can blame you? I mean, who can love someone who has no first name or family?...Someone tha damaged…It would be hard to find someone to love you, when no one else ever did."

I knew what he was trying to do.

Stavoski was trying to make me believe no one cared about me.

But I knew it wasn't true.

Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Eric, Nell, and Hetty cared about me.

And, Emily cared about me. Even if it is just in a friend way.

They were my family.

They may not be related to me by blood, but they are my family.

Despite me going 'lone wolf' sometimes, I always know I can count on them.

And if Stavoski was hoping to get a rise out of me by saying that, he was going to be disappointed.

"You're really not going to talk to me?" Stavoski asked, after a minute of silence.

"Well, you're not my psychologist." I said. "And, I have nothing to say to you…You can keep talking if you want. But expect it to be only you talking as if you're talking to yourself."

Stavoski just stared at me.

Then, Stavoski turned around,a nd left the room. Closing the door behind him.


	45. Chapter 45

(Two Day's Later)

(At Callen's House)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

For the past couple of days, I have been staying at Callen's house with Molly.

I haven't slept. My worry for Callen and the 'hint' Stavoski gave me, keeping me up.

I still couldn't figure out what Stavoski was talking about.

The door to Callen's house suddenly opened.

I picked my gun up, which was lying beside me on the living room floor, and aimed it at the door.

I then saw the person come in.

It was Kensi.

"Whoa!" Kensi said, when she spotted me. Putting her hands up with she did.

I sighed relieved. Lowering my gun.

"I was wondering when you were just going to come in the house." I said, setting my gun back down beside me.

"You knew I was out there?" Kensi asked, as she closed the door.

"Yeah." I said. "I also know when Sam, Marty, and McGee were out there, too….You're just the only one who actually came in."

"I see." She said.

Kensi walked over to me and sat down beside me.

"Any luck?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"I think I'm over thinking again." I said. "Just like with the first hint he gave me…..And we're running out of time."

Suddenly, Molly came into the living room, and lied down in front of me and Kensi.

"Just out of curiosity, why are you in Callen's house?" Kensi asked.

"I have a couple living next door to me at my apartment, and they argue all the time." I said. "Makes it hard to sleep, let alone be able to hear your own thoughts. And here….Well, it's quiet."

"If they argue all the time, why don't you move out?" She asked.

"I don't have a place to move into." I said.

Kensi nodded, understanding.

"Plus, someone has to take care of Molly until Callen comes back." I said.

"True." She said.

I sighed, as silence followed while Kensi and I watched Molly.

"You like Callen." I heard Kensi say.

Not a question.

A statement.

"I do." I admitted to her. "Is it obvious?"

"Recently, yes." I heard Kensi say. "But to be honest, I don't think anyone put two and two together just yet."

"Nate suspects." I said. "So does Tony."

"Explains why he made that comment." I heard Kensi say.

I nodded.

"You like Marty." I said.

Not a question.

A statement.

"That I do." I heard Kensi say. "Is it obvious?"

"Not to Marty." I said. "But everyone else either suspects or knows how you feel about him."

I heard Kensi laugh.

"Why am I not surprised?" I heard Kensi ask.

"When it comes to Marty knowing if a girl likes him, he automatically assumes she doesn't." I said. "It's his way of being able to move on if he got rejected." I then looked at Kensi. "The only way he will know if you like him, is if you show it."

Kensi nodded.

"You should know something about Callen." She said, looking at me. "He has a rule about dating."

"I know." I said. "He doesn't date a girl who owns her own handcuffs….Sam told me when Tracy worked on that case with us."

Kensi nodded. Then, she smiled a little.

"Remember the first case we worked on?" She asked.

"I do." I said. "Callen really didn't like me then."

"He really didn't." Kensi said. "Especially when you got the best of him and broke his nose."

I laughed a little.

"Actually, I just bruised it." I said. "It didn't get broken."

"It was still funny." She said.

I nodded, as the memory of bruising Callen's nose replayed in my mind.

And, as the memory played, I realized something.

When I bruised Callen's nose, he was going to _arrest_ me.

_"You ran in there to get away from the girl."_

The girl I was running away from was Kensi.

_"He almost arrested you. But you got away."_

Callen was going to arrest me. But I punched him in the nose, and ended up climbing over a wire fence and running away.

It was where we met.

Stavoski was keeping Callen were we met.

"The Construction Site." I whispered to myself. Then, I looked at Kensi and said: "Stavoski is keeping Callen at the Construction Site where we met!"

I took my phone out of my pocket and called Nell.

She answered on the second ring.

"Hey, Emily!" Nell said.

"Nell, I know where Callen is." I said. "Kensi and I are on our way to OPS. Call everyone and have them meet us there."

"On it." Nell said.

I hung up the phone, and stood up.

Kensi stood up also, as I picked my gun up.

Then, Kensi and I headed toward the door, and left. Me closing and locking the door behind us.

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"So, Kensi and I were talking about the very first case we did together."I began to explain.

Everyone was in OPS.

And I was telling them where Callen was.

"I was undercover, but Kensi, Sam, and Callen didn't know that." I said.

"I remember that case." Marty said. "That was the case you did for Hetty as a favor."

"Raphael Palmer." Sam said, clearly remembering as well.

"That was also the case we found out who you really were and that you knew Hetty and Deeks." Kensi said.

"Is there a point to this?" Tony asked.

"The point, is that when I ran into Kensi, Sam, and Callen the first time, I ended up running away from Kensi." I said.

"You got away from the girl." Nate said, realizing what I was getting at.

I nodded.

"I got away from Kensi." I said.

"G. continued to run after you." Sam said.

"And when Kensi and Sam caught up to him, you were gone." Marty said.

"And Mr. Callen had a bruised nose." Hetty said.

"Which he got, because he about to arrest me." I concluded.

"Where did that take place?" Gibbs asked.

"A construction site." I said. "Not too far away from Jerry Burke's hotel room."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ziva asked. "Let's do what Ambo would do."

"First, it's _Rambo_." Tony said. "And second, we can't act like 'Rambo' and go in there with guns blazing while there is a hostage inside."

"Mr. DiNozzo is right." Hetty said. "We can't act like Sylvester Stallone and 'wing' it. We need a plan."

"How about, let's get Callen out of there alive no matter what it takes." I said.

"Sounds good to me." Sam said, before Nate or Hetty could protest.

"I'm in." Marty said.

"So am I." Kensi said.

"You can count me in." McGee said.

"Us, too." Nell said.

"We got your back." Eric said.

"Me too." Ziva said.

I looked at Gibbs.

"I'm with you every step of the way." Gibbs said.

I then looked at Tony.

Tony looked right back at me.

A couple seconds went by, as Tony and I stared at each other. A silent conversation going on between us.

Then, Tony asked:

"So…Who's driving with who?"


	46. Chapter 46

(In a building)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

The door to the room opened.

Stavoski, Katerina, and a man came into the room.

"How's my second favorite Agent doing today?" Stavoski asked.

Once again, I remained silent.

"Still won't talk to me, huh?" Stavoski asked, as he took a couple steps closer to me.

I just stared at him.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but," Stavoski began. "I'm beginning to think Agent Taylor lost her Detective self…I expected her to be here by now…I guess you're not so important to her after all."

I remained silent, as Katerina walked over to one of the windows, and looked outside.

"Uncle," Katerina said.

Stavoski looked at her.

"There's a couple vehicles coming in." Katerina said.

Stavoski walked over to the window.

"Ah," Stavoski said. "She never fails to astonish me."

Stavoski turned around and faced me. A big smirk on his face.

"I guess she does care about you, Agent Callen." Stavoski said. "Katerina, why don't you and the others greet our guests?"

Katerina smiled an evil smile, walked toward the door, and left. Closing the door behind her.

"Agent Callen, meet Sebastian." Stavoski said, gesturing toward the man that came into the room with him. "He will be the one doing the honors of taking your life like we have discussed early in our friendship. But, until that moment arrives…."

Sebastian walked over to me then, and punched me in the face.

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(In the Construction Site)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

Sam pulled into the construction site. Ziva, who was driving the car behind us, followed.

Sam stopped the car, and him, Kensi, Marty, and I got out of the car, as Gibbs, McGee, Ziva, and Tony got out of the other car.

"That's one big building." McGee said.

I looked at the building and saw that McGee was right.

The building was huge.

It had at least five floors.

"G. could be in any one of those rooms." Sam said.

"Hey, guys," I heard Eric say in my ear piece. "There are four entrances to the building. Two on each side, one in the front and one in the back."

"How do you want to do this, Em?" Gibbs asked.

"We split up." I said.

Gibbs gave me a nod.

"McGee, DiNozzo, take the left side." Gibbs said. "Ziva and I will take the back."

"Yes, boss." Tony said.

Then, Tony, McGee, Ziva, and Gibbs went to their assigned location.

"Kensi and I will take the other side." Marty said.

"Looks like the front entrance is ours, big guy." I said.

Sam smiled a little.

"Let's go." Kensi said.

Then, Marty and Kensi went to the side door entrance, as Sam and I went to the front entrance. Our weapons drawn.

"Everybody ready?" Sam asked.

"Ready when you are." I heard Gibbs say.

Sam looked at me.

I nodded.

"On three." Sam said, as he got in position to kick open the door. "One, two, three."

Then, Sam kicked the door open.

I went inside with my gun at the ready, and instantly saw two people.

"Federal Agents!" I shouted.

The two guys went for their guns.

I shot at one, as Sam shot at the other.

They both went down.

Sam then went straight ahead, as I took a right, and headed into the next room.

When I entered, there was a guy in there about to reach for his gun.

I shot at him before he could, and he went down without a problem.

I looked around the room to make sure no one else was in there, and spotted stairs.

I went up the stairs with my gun at the ready.

Once I reached the next floor, I saw a row of doors on each side of the hallway.

I walked over to the first door on the left, and kicked it open.

No one was inside.

I then walked over to the first door on the right and kicked it open.

No one was in there either.

I kicked open two more doors.

Nothing.

I was about to head over to the next door, when I heard a gunshot.

I quickly went into the room I recently kicked open and leaned against the wall as close as possible.

I then, cautiously, looked around the door frame into the hallway, where the shot came from.

And that's, when I saw Katerina with a gun pointed at me.

She fired the gun again.

I moved back into the room as I heard the bullet zoom past me, and hit the door.

I braced myself, then I stepped into the doorway, with my gun aimed at Katerina and shot at her.

Katerina quickly ran around a corner.

I fired my gun two more times, and quickly walked to the room next to the one I was in, opened the door, and went inside.

As soon as I stepped into the room, I heard gunshots being fired. Two of those shots, hit the door once again.

"Your aim sucks." I yelled to her.

"Don't worry." I heard Katerina yell back. "Next time, I _won't _miss."

I moved to the doorway and fired my gun at her. Just barely missing her.

Suddenly, my gun stopped shooting.

And when it did, Katerina fired her gun at me.

I quickly moved back into the room.

Unfortunately though, not quick enough.

One of the bullets grazed my arm.

"Damn!" I muttered to myself, as I put my hand where the bullet got me.

It may have just been a flesh wound, but it hurt.

"Surrender Emily!" I heard Katerina yell.

I put my jammed gun away.

Then, I took a deep breath.

I walked into the hallway slowly with my hands up.

I looked at Katerina and saw her smile victoriously at me.

She then walked closer to me. Her gun still aimed at me.

"And my Uncle said this was going to be hard." She said. "Let's go."

I looked behind her.

"Callen!" I exclaimed.

Katerina turned to look behind her.

With her distracted, I grabbed her wrists, and put her hands up in the air so that the gun was facing the ceiling.

I somehow managed to back her up to the wall, and hit her hands against the wall as hard as I could.

On the third hit, Katerina dropped the gun.

I then quickly took my gun out with one hand, and stuck it under her jaw.

"Where is he?" I asked, angrily.

Katerina stayed silent.

"Where. IS. He?!" I asked again, my patience wearing thin, as I pushed the tip of my gun deeper into her skin.

"Next floor." Katerina said. "Second door on the left."

I back away from her a little bit.

"Turn around." I said.

Katerina turned until her back was to me.

"Put your hands behind your head." I said.

She did as she was told.

I put my gun away, and took out my handcuffs.

I then handcuffed her, and dragged her by the arm to the nearest door, opened it, and dragged her inside the room.

I noticed a big hole in the wall to the side. Pipes sticking out of it.

I dragged Katerina toward the pipes, un-handcuffed one of her wrist, put the handcuff around one of the pipes, and handcuffed her wrist once again.

"You do realize you're going to _lose_, right?" Katerina asked, a smug smile coming to her face. "You're not going to be able to save him."

"I have a pressing matter to take care of." I said, ignoring her. "I'll swing by to pick you up on my way out."

I then began to head toward the door.

"He's probably dead now, you know." I heard Katerina call after me.

I stopped walking and turned around to face her.

"If that's true, you're going to _wish_ he wasn't." I said, my voice the most angered, serious, and threating tone I ever heard it sound.

Katerina seemed to have noticed the change in my voice too, because her smile faded instantly.

Then, I turned back around and left the room.

Once in the hallway, I picked up Katerina's gun.

I took my gun out and put Katerina's gun where my gun had been.

I then headed down the hallway, toward the stairs with my gun at the ready.

When I reached the next floor, I walked toward the second door on the left.

I took a deep breath, and kicked the door open.

And when I did, I saw a man with his back to me, punch someone in a chair.

I saw a little bit of the person's face.

It was Callen.

The man was about to hit him again.

"Do it, you die!" I shouted angrily.

The man turned around and faced me.

"Move away from him." I said.

The man put his hands up, and walked slowly away from Callen toward the left side of the room.

I looked at Callen.

He was tied up in a chair.

There was bruise forming under his left eye, and there was a cut on the right side of his bottom lip.

Other than that, he looked fine.

Callen looked at me.

He looked relieved to see me.

Suddenly, I heard slow clapping.

I looked toward the clapping, and saw Stavoski come out of the shadows of the room.

Stavoski stopped clapping and smiled.

"Bravo, Agent Taylor! Bravo!" Stavoski said. "You never fail to impress."

"I'm here." I said sternly. "Let Callen go. You don't need him."

"Emily," Callen began.

"Alright." Stavoski said. "I'll let him go…On one condition."

"What?" I asked.

"Give me the gun, and come with me." Stavoski said.

"Emily, don't do it!" Callen said. "Don't do it! It's a trap!"

I looked at Callen.

"Don't do it." Callen said, shaking his head slightly.

But, I have to, I thought.

"…I'll do it." I said, looking at Stavoski. "Only if you promise you won't kill him."

"I promise." Stavoski said.

I sat the gun down slowly on the ground, and kicked it over to him.

Stavoski picked it up, examining it.

"Untie him." Stavoski said to me.

I walked over to Callen, knelt down in front of him, and began to untie his ankles.

Once his ankles were untied, I started to untie his right wrist.

Once his right wrist was untied, I went to his left wrist.

But, I was stopped when Callen put his hand over mine.

I looked up at him, and saw he was looking back at me. His eyes were pleading with me.

"I have to." I whispered to him. "I have to protect you."

"Em," Callen whispered.

"Trust me." I whispered. "Please…..Trust me."

It was silent for a couple seconds, then Callen nodded his head slowly.

I looked away from him, and finished untying his wrist.

I then stood up.

"Let's go." I heard Stavoski say.

I stared at Callen and Callen stared back at me, as I began walking backwards toward the door.

I love you, Callen, I thought.

Then, I turned around, and walked out of the room.

Stavoski followed me, with my gun aimed at me.

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I opened the door and walked out of the building onto the roof.

"The roof? Really?" I asked. "Why are we on the roof?"

"I like it up here." I heard Stavoski say behind me, as I continued to walk to the middle of the roof. "Something about it makes me relax."

I stopped walking and looked at him, and the gun he still had pointed at me.

"I have to say, Agent Taylor," Stavoski began. "It's been fun. Shame it has to end this way."

I stayed silent.

"You are by far, my favorite contestant, I ever had." He said.

"You make me sick." I said.

Stavoski laughed a little.

"By the way….About Agent Callen," Stavoski began.

Just then, I heard three gunshots fill the air.

"Tell him I said 'hi', would you?" He asked, smiling an evil smile.

I quickly realized why I heard those gunshots.

"You promised-" I began.

"I did." Stavoski said. "But Sebastian didn't."

Then, Stavoski aimed the gun at my head.

"Goodbye, Agent Taylor." He said.

Then, Stavoski pulled the trigger.

But nothing happened.

Stavoski pulled the trigger three more times.

Nothing happened.

Stavoski looked at the gun confused.

"Oh, does the gun not work?" I asked.

Stavoski looked at me.

I then drew Katerina's gun and aimed it at him.

Stavoski laughed, as he dropped the gun onto the ground.

"Go ahead." He said. "Shoot an unarmed man. I know you want to."

"I'm not giving you the satisfaction." I said. "On the ground. Now."

Stavoski chuckled, and lied down on the ground.

"Hands behind your head." I said, as I walked toward him.

Stavoski put his hands behind his head.

I put the gun away, and took out my other set of handcuffs.

I put my knee on his back, and grabbed his left hand to handcuff him.

But before I could, Stavoski caught me off guard by rolling us over so that he was on top of me.

He then quickly rolled over himself, so that he was facing me, placed his hands around my neck, and began to choke me.

"Nice try, Agent Taylor." Stavoski said, as I tried to get him off o me. "But in the end, you still lose."

Then, he leaned in to my ear.

"I _win_." He whispered.

I removed one of my hands from trying to push him off, and tried to get to the gun that was making an impression in my lower back.

But I wasn't able to.

As I hanged onto consciousness, I looked to my left as best as I could, and saw my gun.

It was in arms reach.

I grabbed it, and hit Stavoski in the head with the heel of the gun as hard as I could.

In doing so, Stavoski's grip on my neck loosened, and he fell on me. His weight crushing me.

I pushed him off me, and gasped for air. Coughing a little as I did.

I then stood up, and looked at Stavoski.

He was unconscious.

Looks like I win, I thought, as I dropped my gun.

"Emily!" I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice and saw Sam coming toward me with his gun aimed at Stavoski.

"You ok?" He asked.

"I'm good." I said.

Once Sam reached me, he bent down and checked Stavoski's pulse.

"I knocked him unconscious." I said.

"Where's Callen?" Sam asked, as he looked up at me.

And that's when I remembered the gunshots I heard.

I looked away from Sam as sadness overwhelmed me. Tears coming to my eyes.

A couple seconds went by, then suddenly, I was wrapped into a bear hug by Sam.

I hugged him back, as I tried to fight the tears that threatened to fall.

A couple seconds went by in silence.

"G." I suddenly heard Sam say in relief.

I pulled away from Sam, and turned around.

Standing not too far away from me, was Callen. And standing a little bit away from him, was Marty and Kensi.

Relief and happiness flowed through me, as Callen smiled a little at me. Looking just as relieved and happy as I felt.

I smiled a little back at him.

Then, I walked away from Sam, and walked toward Callen. Embracing him tightly as soon as I reached him.

Callen hugged me just as tightly back.

"I…..I thought…" I whispered. "I heard…"

"You're not getting rid of me that easy." I heard Callen whisper.

We both tightened our hold on the other.

"I'm so, so, so happy you're ok." I whispered.

"I am now." I heard Callen whisper.


	47. Chapter 47

(Two Day's Later)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Callen's P.O.V.)

"Well, I guess we're done here." Nate said.

I was in Nate's Office.

He was making sure I was ok from what happened with Stavoski.

After we arrested Stavoski, we turned him and Katerina over to the authorities that Hetty personally selected, and they were both shipped to where Stavoski was before he escaped with more security than the president had.

"Alright then." I said.

I got up from my chair, and headed toward the door.

"Callen, wait." I heard Nate say.

I stopped walking and turned around to face him.

"There is one other thing I want to talk to you about." Nate said. Then he added: "As friends."

"Ok." I said. "But make it quick. I want to say goodbye to Gibbs before he leaves."

Nate gave me a nod, then he said:

"It's about Emily."

"What about her?" I asked.

"She cares about you." He said. "…She cares about you a lot…Probably more than you realize."

I was silent.

"You care about her, too." Nate said. "I can tell."

"Is there a point to this, Nate?" I asked.

"All I'm saying, is…..She convinced you to get a dog." Nate said. "Something you told me you would never do, because having Buddy being taken away from you by Tracy, hurt too much."

"Again, what's your point?" I asked.

"Emily's good for you, Callen." He said. "She makes you happy and whole…..She completes you."

"Sam completes me." I said.

"Partner wise, yes." Nate said. "But as a soul mate…Emily does."

I stayed silent. Knowing he was right.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Nate asked.

"I'm going to go say goodbye to Gibbs." I said, ignoring his question.

"Callen," Nate began, as I headed toward the door again.

I ignored him, and opened the door.

"Callen, don't let Tracy or that rule keep you from being happy!" I heard Nate call after me, as I left his office.

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I walked down the stairs and saw that everybody was in the middle of the room saying goodbye to Gibbs and his team.

As I approached everyone, Gibbs looked in my direction, spotting me.

"You're just in time." Gibbs said to me.

"Looks like I am." I said, once I reached him.

I then held my hand out to him.

"Thanks again, Gibbs." I said.

Gibbs smiled a little, took my hand, and shook it.

"Anytime, Callen." He said.

I smiled a little, as we pulled our hands away.

"Stay out of trouble." Gibbs said.

"I'll try." I said. "Have a good flight."

"I'll try." He said.

Gibbs than walked away from me, and walked over to Emily.

Once he reached her, she hugged him.

I smiled.

"Eh-hum!" I heard a voice say.

I looked toward the voice to see Tony was now standing in front of me.

"Callen." Tony said.

"Tony." I said.

Tony looked at Emily, then he looked back at me.

"She's a good girl." He said. "One of the best people I know….So, if you break her heart, I'll come back here and break you."

I looked at Tony amused.

"With Marty's help." Tony added.

I continued to stare at Tony.

"I'll even bring McGoo over there." He said.

"You're really giving me _this_ talk?" I asked.

"I know how much she cares about you." Tony said. "She hasn't _actually_ told me, but I do see the way she looks at you. So, yes, I'm giving you _this _talk….And I mean every word of it."

It was silent as Tony and I stared at each other.

"Take care of her." Tony said.

"I will." I said.

Then, Tony walked away from me, and headed toward Emily.

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(Later)

(NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I was packing my stuff into my bag to take home at my desk, when I heard a voice say:

"Hey,"

I stopped putting things in my bag and looked toward the voice.

It was Callen.

"Hey," I said smiling at him.

Callen smiled back at me.

"Going home?" He asked.

"Yes and no." I said. "Kensi invited me over to her house to have a movie marathon with her and Nell."

"Sounds like a girly sleepover." Callen said.

"So? Maybe it is." I said. "Is there anything wrong with that? "

Callen laughed a little.

"What are you going to do besides watch movies?" He asked.

"I don't know." I said. "Kensi has something planned, but she said Nell and I will find out when we get there, so…"

Callen nodded.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." He said. "I'll probably stay here and do paper work for a while."

I nodded.

It was silent between us for a couple seconds, then Callen said:

"Have a good night, Emily."

"You too, Callen." I said.

Callen then walked over to his desk.

I put one more thing in my bag, zipped it up, put my bag over my shoulder, left the bull pen, and headed toward the exit.

But once I reached the door, I stopped walking as I thought about Callen, and everything that has happened recently and before now.

The last thing being, how I felt about him.

I turned around and walked back to the bull pen.

When I entered the bull pen, Callen was still standing at his desk.

He looked my way, spotting me.

"Forget something?" Callen asked, as I dropped my bag onto the floor, and began to walk over to him.

"Yeah." I said.

Once I reached him, I took his face in my hands, and kissed him.

And it felt so good.

A second went by, then, Callen wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer as he did, and kissed me back.

The kiss was slow and tender.

As we kissed, I put my arms around his neck.

Callen licked my bottom lip, and I granted him access.

And that's when the kiss became heated, and passionate.

We were so lost in each other, that when my phone began to ring, we both jumped away from the other. Both of us breathing heavy.

I took my phone out of my pocket and looked to see who was calling.

It was Kensi.

I answered it.

"Hey, Kensi! I'm on my way, I promise!" I said, quickly.

"Ok." I heard Kensi say on the other side of the phone. "Why are you out of breath?"

"See you soon, Kensi." I said quickly.

Then, I hung up the phone.

I looked at Callen to see he was looking back at me.

"…I really should," I began.

"…..Of course." He said. "I understand….Have a great time."

I closed the distance between us, and kissed him again, gently.

Callen kissed me back just at gentle, and pulled away.

"You should go before I lose control." Callen whispered.

I nodded.

Then, I walked away from Callen, picked my bag up, and left the bull pen. Heading straight to the exit.


	48. Chapter 48

(The Next Day)

(At NCIS: OSP Headquarters)

(Emily's P.O.V.)

I walked into the bull pen, went to my desk, and sat my bag down.

I smiled as I remembered what happened last night.

I took a chance and kissed Callen. Something I normally wouldn't do, I did last night.

And Callen kissed me back.

Which meant he liked me, too.

…..I think.

I turned around to head into the kitchen when I saw Callen standing in the kitchen with his back to me pouring coffee into a cup.

I walked over to him.

"Hey," I said.

Callen sat down the coffee pot, and looked at me.

"Hey," He said, smiling a little. "How was the slumber party?"

"Fun." I said. Then, I said softly: "But I kept thinking about you the whole night."

"I kept thinking about you last night, too." Callen said softly.

It was silent for a couple seconds, then I asked:

"So….Where does this leave us?"

It was silent for a minute, then, Callen said:

"Emily, I'm not going to lie. I really like you a lot….But I have this rule. You know that."

"I know." I said. "But….Don't you think it's time to break that rule?"

"…I can't." He said. "I have that rule for a reason…I'm sorry, Em."

I nodded as I looked away from him. Feeling sad.

"I understand." I said, looking back at him. "Friends it is."

Callen smiled sadly at me.

"By the way," I began. "Remember how you asked me who my type of guy was?"

Callen nodded.

"My type of guy," I said. "Is you."

Callen and I stared at each other.

"Morning, G." I heard a voice say. "Morning, Emily."

I looked away from Callen, and saw Sam was by his desk in the bull pen setting his bag down by his desk.

"Morning, Sam." I said, as I walked toward him.

The day went by slow. No new case, so we were all sitting at our desk working on paper work and talking.

Callen and I acted like nothing happened between us.

And no one, like always, seemed to have noticed the glances that passed between us through out the day.

Making me wonder, if I will be able to change his mind.

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A/N: And that is the end of this story.

Thank you to everyone who liked/favored/followed/commented/reviewed this story! It means a lot and I really appreciate it.

And for those of you wondering: Yes, there will be a sequel. It will be called: Couldn't Last A Moment, and it should be up in the next day or two.

Thank you all again for everything :)


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